Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) in China

China: Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) was 63.77 in 2027. ▼ Falling

Latest (2027)
63.77
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
77th
of 188 countries
All-time high
79.17
in 1990
All-time low
63.77
in 2027
Years of data
38
1990–2027

Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) in China, 1990–2027

0204060801990200820271990: 79.21991: 78.71992: 78.21993: 77.81994: 77.31995: 76.81996: 76.31997: 75.81998: 75.21999: 74.72000: 74.22001: 73.92002: 73.62003: 73.22004: 72.92005: 72.62006: 72.32007: 722008: 71.62009: 71.32010: 712011: 70.92012: 70.42013: 702014: 69.72015: 69.32016: 68.92017: 68.32018: 67.82019: 67.42020: 65.72021: 67.12022: 65.82023: 65.82024: 64.92025: 64.62026: 64.22027: 63.8

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

China recorded 63.77 for labour force participation rate (ilo modelled estimates) in 2027. That is the lowest value across all 38 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 6.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labour force participation rate (ilo modelled estimates) in China peaked at 79.17 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 63.77, in 2027.

That places China 77th out of 188 countries with data for 2027, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) in China, year by year

Annual values for Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) in China, 1990 to 2027.
Year Value Change
1990 79.17 —
1991 78.71 -0.6%
1992 78.23 -0.6%
1993 77.75 -0.6%
1994 77.27 -0.6%
1995 76.77 -0.6%
1996 76.27 -0.7%
1997 75.76 -0.7%
1998 75.25 -0.7%
1999 74.72 -0.7%
2000 74.19 -0.7%
2001 73.88 -0.4%
2002 73.56 -0.4%
2003 73.25 -0.4%
2004 72.93 -0.4%
2005 72.61 -0.4%
2006 72.28 -0.4%
2007 71.95 -0.5%
2008 71.62 -0.5%
2009 71.29 -0.5%
2010 70.96 -0.5%
2011 70.86 -0.1%
2012 70.41 -0.6%
2013 69.97 -0.6%
2014 69.65 -0.5%
2015 69.3 -0.5%
2016 68.88 -0.6%
2017 68.35 -0.8%
2018 67.81 -0.8%
2019 67.38 -0.6%
2020 65.72 -2.5%
2021 67.11 +2.1%
2022 65.8 -2.0%
2023 65.83 +0.0%
2024 64.91 -1.4%
2025 64.55 -0.6%
2026 64.22 -0.5%
2027 63.77 -0.7%

China compared with similar countries

  • China's 63.77 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 59.75, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
  • China's 63.77 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 63.77, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 76.99 74.72 79.17 10
2000s 72.76 71.29 74.19 10
2010s 69.36 67.38 70.96 10
2020s 65.24 63.77 67.11 8

Countries ranked near China

  1. 74 Rwanda 63.92 compare
  2. 75 South Korea 63.91 compare
  3. 76 Haiti 63.86 compare
  4. 78 Japan 63.66 compare
  5. 79 Brunei 63.56 compare
  6. 80 Malta 63.44 compare

See the full ranking of 276 places →

More work & labour data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is labour force participation rate (ilo modelled estimates) in China?
Labour force participation rate (ilo modelled estimates) in China was 63.77 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest labour force participation rate (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 79.17 in 1990.
What is the lowest labour force participation rate (ilo modelled estimates) recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 63.77 in 2027.
How does China rank for labour force participation rate (ilo modelled estimates)?
China ranks 77th out of 188 countries with data for 2027.
Is labour force participation rate (ilo modelled estimates) rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) in China. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 04 October 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-force-participation-rate-ilo-modelled-estimates-15/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Labour force participation rate (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 participation rate is the labour force as a percent of the working-age population. 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.