Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in World

World: Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) was 3.86 million in 2027. β–² Rising

Latest (2027)
3.86 million
Change on year
up 1.0%
Rank
1st
of 87 groups
All-time high
3.86 million
in 2027
All-time low
2.34 million
in 1990
Years of data
38
1990–2027

Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in World, 1990–2027

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M1990200820271990: 2.3M1991: 2.4M1992: 2.4M1993: 2.5M1994: 2.5M1995: 2.5M1996: 2.6M1997: 2.6M1998: 2.7M1999: 2.7M2000: 2.8M2001: 2.8M2002: 2.9M2003: 2.9M2004: 3.0M2005: 3.0M2006: 3.0M2007: 3.1M2008: 3.1M2009: 3.2M2010: 3.2M2011: 3.2M2012: 3.3M2013: 3.3M2014: 3.3M2015: 3.4M2016: 3.4M2017: 3.5M2018: 3.5M2019: 3.5M2020: 3.5M2021: 3.6M2022: 3.6M2023: 3.7M2024: 3.7M2025: 3.8M2026: 3.8M2027: 3.9M

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

World recorded 3.86 million for labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in 2027. That is the highest value across all 38 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 11.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in World peaked at 3.86 million in 2027 and was at its lowest, 2.34 million, in 1990.

That places World 1st out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2.52 million 2.34 million 2.72 million 10
2000s 2.97 million 2.77 million 3.16 million 10
2010s 3.36 million 3.19 million 3.53 million 10
2020s 3.70 million 3.49 million 3.86 million 8

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 China 771,810 compare
  2. 2 India 635,848 compare
  3. 3 United States 178,849 compare
  4. 4 Indonesia 150,937 compare

See the full ranking of 276 places β†’

More work & labour data for World

All data for World β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in World?
Labour force (ilo modelled estimates) in World was 3.86 million in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest labour force (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 3.86 million in 2027.
What is the lowest labour force (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 2.34 million in 1990.
How does World rank for labour force (ilo modelled estimates)?
World ranks 1st out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is labour force (ilo modelled estimates) rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this World data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in World. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-force-ilo-modelled-estimates-15/world/

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About this data

Indicator
Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
276 places, 10,464 data points, 1990–2027
Last refreshed

Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. The labour force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.