Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Netherlands
Netherlands: Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level was 85.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Netherlands, 1995–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
In 2025, labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Netherlands stood at 85.6%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Netherlands peaked at 85.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 69.2%, in 1995.
That places Netherlands 2nd out of 45 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 69.2% | — |
| 1996 | 69.9% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 71.5% | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 72.6% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 73.6% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 74.9% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 75.7% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 76.5% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 76.5% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 76.6% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 75.1% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 75.4% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 76.7% | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 77.8% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 78.1% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 77.9% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 78.1% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 79.0% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 79.4% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 79.0% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 79.6% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 79.7% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 79.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 80.3% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 80.9% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 80.9% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 83.7% | +3.5% |
| 2022 | 84.7% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 85.5% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 85.5% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 85.6% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 71.4% | 69.2% | 73.6% | 5 |
| 2000s | 76.3% | 74.9% | 78.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.4% | 77.9% | 80.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.3% | 80.9% | 85.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 1 Iceland 88.1% compare
- 2 Netherlands 85.6% compare
- 4 Switzerland 84.1% compare
- 5 Sweden 84.0% compare
More work & labour data for Netherlands
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 5,256 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.71 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 10,535 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.03 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.4 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.1112 % change on previous year (2027)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 67.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Netherlands?
- Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level in Netherlands was 85.6% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest labour force participation rates by educational attainment level recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 85.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest labour force participation rates by educational attainment level recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.2% in 1995.
- How does Netherlands rank for labour force participation rates by educational attainment level?
- Netherlands ranks 2nd out of 45 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labour force participation rates by educational attainment level rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Netherlands data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level, citizenship and degree of urbanisation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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