Labour indicators levels - Regions — Labour force in EU-27

EU-27: Labour indicators levels - Regions — Labour force was 221.87 million Persons in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
221.87 million Persons
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
1st
of 6 regions
All-time high
221.87 million Persons
in 2025
All-time low
197.95 million Persons
in 2002
Years of data
24
2002–2025

Labour indicators levels - Regions — Labour force in EU-27, 2002–2025

050.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M2002201320252002: 198.0M Persons2003: 199.3M Persons2004: 200.3M Persons2005: 203.1M Persons2006: 205.1M Persons2007: 206.9M Persons2008: 208.9M Persons2009: 209.4M Persons2010: 208.0M Persons2011: 208.1M Persons2012: 209.5M Persons2013: 210.0M Persons2014: 210.5M Persons2015: 210.9M Persons2016: 211.9M Persons2017: 212.9M Persons2018: 213.2M Persons2019: 214.3M Persons2020: 211.9M Persons2021: 212.8M Persons2022: 215.9M Persons2023: 218.3M Persons2024: 220.3M Persons2025: 221.9M Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

EU-27 recorded 221.87 million Persons for labour indicators levels - regions — labour force in 2025. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labour indicators levels - regions — labour force in EU-27 peaked at 221.87 million Persons in 2025 and was at its lowest, 197.95 million Persons, in 2002.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 203.87 million Persons 197.95 million Persons 209.43 million Persons 8
2010s 210.93 million Persons 208.00 million Persons 214.26 million Persons 10
2020s 216.84 million Persons 211.87 million Persons 221.87 million Persons 6

Countries ranked near EU-27

  1. 1 OECD 637.45 million Persons compare
  2. 2 United States 167.12 million Persons compare
  3. 3 Brazil 102.52 million Persons compare
  4. 4 Russia 76.70 million Persons compare

See the full ranking of 54 places →

More work & labour data for EU-27

All data for EU-27 →

Frequently asked questions

What is labour indicators levels - regions — labour force in EU-27?
Labour indicators levels - regions — labour force in EU-27 was 221.87 million Persons in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest labour indicators levels - regions — labour force recorded in EU-27?
The highest recorded value was 221.87 million Persons in 2025.
What is the lowest labour indicators levels - regions — labour force recorded in EU-27?
The lowest recorded value was 197.95 million Persons in 2002.
How does EU-27 rank for labour indicators levels - regions — labour force?
EU-27 ranks 1st out of 6 regions with data for 2025.
Is labour indicators levels - regions — labour force rising or falling in EU-27?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this EU-27 data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Labour indicators levels - Regions — Labour force. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Labour indicators levels - Regions — Labour force in EU-27. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/labour-indicators-levels-regions-labour-force/eu-27/

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About this data

Indicator
Labour indicators levels - Regions — Labour force
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
54 places, 1,323 data points, 1995–2025
Last refreshed

<p>This dataset presents indicators on the size of the labour force, employment, and unemployment in large regions (TL2) and, where available, in small regions (TL3).</p> <p><strong>Data definition and source</strong></p> <p>The labour force status is presented by sex, for 15-64 year-olds and 15+ year-olds age ranges, the latter having less country coverage. Data is based on a labour force survey using ILO guidelines and collected from Eurostat (reg_lmk) for EU countries and via delegates of the OECD Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI), as well as from national statistical offices' websites.</p> <p><strong>Definition of regions</strong></p> <p>Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). For more information, see the OECD Territorial grid <a href="https://webfs-cfe.oecd.org/files/.Stat/region/OECD_territorial-grid_TL2024.pdf">(pdf)</a> and the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table <a href="https://webfs-cfe.oecd.org/files/.Stat/region/OECD%20Territorial%20correspondence%20-%20TL2024c.xlsx">(xlsx)</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Cite this dataset</strong></p> <p>OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database&nbsp;<a href="http://oe.cd/geostats">http://oe.cd/geostats</a>.</p> <p><strong>Further information</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://regions-cities-atlas.oecd.org/">OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas</a>&nbsp;</li> <li><a href="https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-regions-and-cities-at-a-glance-2024_f42db3bf-en.html">OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance</a></li> </ul> <p>For questions and/or comments, please email <a href="mailto:RegionStat@oecd.org">RegionStat@oecd.org</a>.</p>