Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level - quarterly data by country
Countries reporting
47
Highest
81.1%
Iceland
Lowest
52.9%
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Median
68.3%
Years covered
29
1998–2026
Data points
1,297
What the numbers show
Labour force participation rates by educational attainment level - quarterly data is currently reported for 47 countries. The highest value is 81.1% in Iceland; the lowest is 52.9% in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The median across all reporting countries is 68.3%, and the mean is 67.1%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 42 countries rose and 5 fell. The largest increase was in Malta (up 21.1%), and the largest decrease in Romania (down 2.6%).
Labour force: quarterly data … quarterly data level: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 81.1% | 2026 | down 2.4% | flat |
| 2 | Sweden | 76.8% | 2026 | up 7.4% | rising |
| 3 | Netherlands | 76.2% | 2026 | up 8.9% | rising |
| 4 | Netherlands | 76.1% | 2026 | up 8.7% | rising |
| 5 | Switzerland | 75.4% | 2026 | down 0.7% | flat |
| 6 | Denmark | 74.7% | 2026 | up 10.3% | flat |
| 7 | Malta | 74.6% | 2026 | up 21.1% | rising |
| 8 | Norway | 73.6% | 2026 | up 5.6% | flat |
| 9 | Estonia | 73.4% | 2026 | up 5.0% | rising |
| 10 | Estonia | 73.2% | 2026 | up 4.7% | rising |
| 11 | Cyprus | 72.6% | 2026 | up 8.7% | rising |
| 12 | Ireland | 71.8% | 2026 | up 8.1% | rising |
| 13 | Lithuania | 71.0% | 2026 | up 4.9% | rising |
| 14 | Finland | 70.9% | 2026 | up 9.9% | flat |
| 15 | Lithuania | 70.7% | 2026 | up 4.4% | rising |
| 16 | Latvia | 70.0% | 2026 | up 2.9% | rising |
| 17 | Germany | 69.9% | 2026 | up 0.4% | rising |
| 18 | United Kingdom | 69.7% | 2020 | up 2.0% | flat |
| 18 | United Kingdom | 69.7% | 2020 | up 2.0% | flat |
| 20 | Czechia | 69.4% | 2026 | up 5.6% | rising |
| 21 | Portugal | 69.3% | 2026 | up 5.5% | flat |
| 22 | Austria | 69.1% | 2026 | up 2.1% | rising |
| 23 | Latvia | 68.7% | 2026 | up 1.0% | rising |
| 24 | Hungary | 68.3% | 2026 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 25 | Luxembourg | 66.8% | 2026 | up 3.9% | rising |
| 26 | Slovak Republic | 66.5% | 2026 | up 2.9% | rising |
| 27 | Slovakia | 66.4% | 2026 | up 2.8% | rising |
| 28 | Spain | 65.9% | 2026 | up 1.4% | rising |
| 29 | Slovenia | 65.6% | 2026 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 30 | Slovenia | 65.2% | 2026 | up 2.7% | rising |
| 31 | France | 65.0% | 2026 | up 4.5% | flat |
| 32 | Poland | 64.6% | 2026 | up 5.0% | rising |
| 32 | Poland | 64.6% | 2026 | up 5.0% | rising |
| 34 | Bulgaria | 62.9% | 2026 | up 7.3% | rising |
| 35 | Belgium | 62.5% | 2026 | up 4.0% | rising |
| 36 | Greece | 62.0% | 2026 | up 4.4% | rising |
| 37 | Serbia | 61.3% | 2026 | up 6.8% | rising |
| 37 | Serbia | 61.3% | 2026 | up 6.8% | rising |
| 39 | Croatia | 61.0% | 2026 | up 7.0% | rising |
| 39 | Croatia | 61.0% | 2026 | up 7.0% | rising |
| 41 | Italy | 58.7% | 2026 | up 2.8% | rising |
| 42 | Romania | 57.3% | 2026 | down 2.6% | falling |
| 42 | North Macedonia | 57.3% | 2026 | down 1.9% | flat |
| 42 | North Macedonia | 57.3% | 2026 | down 1.9% | flat |
| 45 | Türkiye | 55.5% | 2026 | up 2.2% | rising |
| 46 | Montenegro | 53.8% | 2020 | up 6.3% | rising |
| 47 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 52.9% | 2026 | up 1.5% | flat |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.