Labour indicators levels - Regions — Population by country
<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...
What the numbers show
Labour indicators levels - Regions — Population is currently reported for 49 countries. The highest value is 1.12 billion Persons in OECD; the lowest is 325,480 Persons in Iceland.
The median across all reporting countries is 9.05 million Persons, and the mean is 50.79 million Persons.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 3,440.
Over the past decade 34 countries rose and 15 fell. The largest increase was in Peru (up 58.7%), and the largest decrease in United Kingdom (down 24.8%).
Labour indicators levels - Regions — Population: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OECD | 1.12 billion Persons | 2023 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 2 | United States | 204.17 million Persons | 2025 | down 18.7% | rising |
| 3 | Brazil | 165.99 million Persons | 2019 | up 15.0% | rising |
| 4 | Russia | 120.44 million Persons | 2020 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 5 | Japan | 109.72 million Persons | 2025 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 6 | Mexico | 86.93 million Persons | 2026 | down 2.3% | rising |
| 7 | Germany | 72.16 million Persons | 2026 | up 2.3% | flat |
| 8 | France | 58.10 million Persons | 2026 | up 9.5% | rising |
| 9 | Italy | 52.12 million Persons | 2026 | up 0.1% | rising |
| 10 | Spain | 43.76 million Persons | 2026 | up 12.2% | rising |
| 11 | Colombia | 40.95 million Persons | 2024 | up 20.4% | rising |
| 12 | South Africa | 39.18 million Persons | 2023 | up 2.7% | rising |
| 13 | United Kingdom | 39.16 million Persons | 2025 | down 24.8% | rising |
| 14 | Canada | 36.04 million Persons | 2025 | up 23.9% | rising |
| 15 | Argentina | 35.54 million Persons | 2023 | up 13.0% | rising |
| 16 | Poland | 31.10 million Persons | 2026 | up 1.3% | flat |
| 17 | Peru | 25.91 million Persons | 2023 | up 58.7% | rising |
| 18 | Australia | 22.68 million Persons | 2025 | up 17.7% | rising |
| 19 | Romania | 16.18 million Persons | 2026 | down 3.2% | falling |
| 20 | Netherlands | 15.58 million Persons | 2026 | up 11.3% | rising |
| 21 | Chile | 12.93 million Persons | 2025 | down 9.5% | rising |
| 22 | Belgium | 10.12 million Persons | 2026 | up 8.0% | rising |
| 23 | Portugal | 9.56 million Persons | 2026 | up 7.9% | rising |
| 24 | Czechia | 9.40 million Persons | 2026 | up 5.3% | rising |
| 25 | Greece | 9.05 million Persons | 2026 | down 1.8% | flat |
| 26 | Sweden | 8.91 million Persons | 2026 | up 9.6% | rising |
| 27 | Tunisia | 8.69 million Persons | 2018 | up 6.4% | rising |
| 28 | Hungary | 8.15 million Persons | 2026 | down 1.1% | flat |
| 29 | Austria | 7.97 million Persons | 2026 | up 8.7% | rising |
| 30 | Switzerland | 7.86 million Persons | 2026 | up 11.3% | rising |
| 31 | Israel | 7.17 million Persons | 2025 | up 18.1% | rising |
| 32 | Serbia | 5.55 million Persons | 2026 | down 7.7% | falling |
| 33 | Bulgaria | 5.52 million Persons | 2026 | down 9.7% | falling |
| 34 | Denmark | 5.13 million Persons | 2026 | up 7.7% | rising |
| 35 | Finland | 4.88 million Persons | 2026 | up 6.5% | rising |
| 36 | Norway | 4.79 million Persons | 2026 | up 11.5% | rising |
| 37 | Ireland | 4.54 million Persons | 2026 | up 21.2% | rising |
| 38 | Costa Rica | 4.46 million Persons | 2026 | up 18.0% | rising |
| 39 | Croatia | 3.36 million Persons | 2026 | down 5.8% | falling |
| 40 | New Zealand | 3.23 million Persons | 2025 | down 11.2% | rising |
| 41 | Lithuania | 2.53 million Persons | 2026 | up 3.3% | falling |
| 42 | Albania | 1.90 million Persons | 2026 | down 18.7% | flat |
| 43 | Slovenia | 1.84 million Persons | 2026 | up 4.6% | rising |
| 44 | Latvia | 1.58 million Persons | 2026 | down 3.5% | falling |
| 45 | North Macedonia | 1.52 million Persons | 2026 | down 11.8% | flat |
| 46 | Estonia | 1.18 million Persons | 2026 | up 8.0% | flat |
| 47 | Luxembourg | 591,540 Persons | 2026 | up 25.4% | rising |
| 48 | Malta | 532,330 Persons | 2026 | up 38.3% | rising |
| 49 | Iceland | 325,480 Persons | 2026 | up 38.9% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Korea 32.67 million Persons
- Slovak Republic 4.56 million Persons
About this data
<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>. </p> <p><strong>Cite this dataset</strong></p> <p>OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database <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> </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>