Labour force: ICLS13) (15+) … previous ICLS13 15+ in Turkey
Turkey: Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) was 53.52 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Turkey, 1955–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Turkey recorded 53.52 for labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Turkey peaked at 83.69 in 1955 and was at its lowest, 46.23, in 2007.
Turkey ranks 165th of 210 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in Turkey, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 83.69 | — |
| 1960 | 79.69 | -4.8% |
| 1965 | 74.62 | -6.4% |
| 1970 | 67.8 | -9.1% |
| 1975 | 66.81 | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 65.47 | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 63.78 | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 58.47 | -8.3% |
| 1989 | 58.7 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 56.61 | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 49.94 | -11.8% |
| 2001 | 49.81 | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 49.58 | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 48.33 | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 46.31 | -4.2% |
| 2005 | 46.43 | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 46.27 | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 46.23 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 46.89 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 47.88 | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 48.8 | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 49.87 | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 49.96 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 50.84 | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 50.51 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 51.3 | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 52 | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 52.83 | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 53.21 | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 52.95 | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 49.34 | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 51.36 | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 53.08 | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 53.34 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 54.2 | +1.6% |
| 2025 | 53.52 | -1.3% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 53.52 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 62.79, 85% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 53.52 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 61.7, 87% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 83.69 | 83.69 | 83.69 | 1 |
| 1960s | 77.16 | 74.62 | 79.69 | 2 |
| 1970s | 67.31 | 66.81 | 67.8 | 2 |
| 1980s | 61.61 | 58.47 | 65.47 | 4 |
| 1990s | 56.61 | 56.61 | 56.61 | 1 |
| 2000s | 47.77 | 46.23 | 49.94 | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.23 | 48.8 | 53.21 | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.47 | 49.34 | 54.2 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
- 162 Kiribati 54.59 compare
- 163 Trinidad and Tobago 54.53 compare
- 164 Croatia 54.06 compare
- 166 French Guiana 53.35 compare
- 167 Martinique 53.13 compare
- 168 Congo 53.1 compare
More work & labour data for Turkey
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 31,966 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 54.63 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 38,497 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 8.78 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.51 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 95,928 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 41,171 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 49.84 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.6505 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Turkey?
- Labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in Turkey was 53.52 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 83.69 in 1955.
- What is the lowest labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.23 in 2007.
- How does Turkey rank for labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- Turkey ranks 165th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Turkey data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. 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 Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.