LU4: Composite rate of labour underutilization (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) by country
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...
What the numbers show
LU4: Composite rate of labour underutilization (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) is currently reported for 75 countries. The highest value is 44.56 in South Africa; the lowest is 1.24 in Thailand.
The median across all reporting countries is 12.53, and the mean is 13.61.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 36.
Over the past decade 15 countries rose and 57 fell. The largest increase was in Guatemala (up 202.2%), and the largest decrease in Albania (down 69.3%).
LU4: Composite rate of labour underutilization (previous ILO): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | 44.56 | 2024 | up 17.0% | rising |
| 2 | Senegal | 34.35 | 2024 | up 18.3% | rising |
| 3 | Palestine | 31.51 | 2025 | down 5.4% | flat |
| 4 | Rwanda | 29.94 | 2025 | down 21.0% | falling |
| 5 | Angola | 27.45 | 2025 | down 17.5% | falling |
| 6 | Zimbabwe | 25.96 | 2024 | up 126.8% | rising |
| 7 | Guatemala | 23.36 | 2025 | up 202.2% | rising |
| 8 | Chile | 22.48 | 2025 | down 7.7% | falling |
| 9 | Guyana | 22.16 | 2024 | down 36.7% | falling |
| 10 | Serbia | 20.38 | 2020 | down 33.5% | falling |
| 11 | Jordan | 20.16 | 2024 | down 17.7% | falling |
| 12 | Finland | 20.06 | 2024 | up 5.0% | flat |
| 13 | Georgia | 19.63 | 2025 | down 10.3% | falling |
| 14 | Zambia | 18.75 | 2024 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 15 | Spain | 18.65 | 2025 | down 42.7% | rising |
| 16 | Costa Rica | 18.62 | 2025 | down 27.8% | falling |
| 17 | Uruguay | 18.02 | 2025 | down 0.6% | falling |
| 18 | France | 17.98 | 2024 | down 16.3% | rising |
| 19 | Turkey | 17.5 | 2013 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 20 | Sweden | 17.48 | 2024 | up 11.5% | rising |
| 21 | North Macedonia | 17.02 | 2025 | down 45.9% | falling |
| 22 | Montenegro | 16.19 | 2024 | down 42.9% | falling |
| 23 | Italy | 15.7 | 2024 | down 41.4% | rising |
| 24 | Ireland | 15.57 | 2024 | down 24.4% | falling |
| 25 | Honduras | 14.49 | 2025 | down 51.1% | falling |
| 26 | Luxembourg | 14.43 | 2024 | up 6.5% | rising |
| 27 | Brazil | 14.23 | 2025 | down 15.1% | rising |
| 28 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 14.2 | 2025 | down 64.1% | falling |
| 29 | Greece | 13.58 | 2025 | down 58.6% | rising |
| 30 | Panama | 13.54 | 2025 | up 42.6% | rising |
| 31 | Colombia | 13.25 | 2025 | down 15.5% | falling |
| 32 | Albania | 13.16 | 2024 | down 69.3% | falling |
| 33 | Switzerland | 12.99 | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 34 | Denmark | 12.86 | 2024 | up 6.4% | rising |
| 35 | Estonia | 12.75 | 2024 | down 1.2% | falling |
| 36 | Indonesia | 12.59 | 2023 | down 10.2% | rising |
| 37 | Barbados | 12.58 | 2024 | down 14.8% | flat |
| 38 | Belize | 12.53 | 2017 | — | falling |
| 39 | Portugal | 12.24 | 2025 | down 48.3% | rising |
| 40 | United Kingdom | 12.04 | 2025 | down 15.4% | rising |
| 41 | Netherlands | 11.91 | 2024 | down 35.9% | rising |
| 42 | Latvia | 11.46 | 2024 | down 39.4% | falling |
| 43 | Belgium | 11.4 | 2024 | down 22.1% | rising |
| 44 | Bolivia | 11.38 | 2025 | up 47.0% | falling |
| 45 | Austria | 10.94 | 2025 | down 22.1% | rising |
| 46 | Dominican Republic | 10.71 | 2025 | down 46.1% | falling |
| 47 | Cyprus | 10.59 | 2024 | down 66.8% | rising |
| 48 | Norway | 10.51 | 2024 | up 15.8% | rising |
| 49 | Lithuania | 10.41 | 2024 | down 27.8% | falling |
| 50 | Brunei | 10.32 | 2024 | down 33.6% | falling |
| 51 | Iceland | 10.23 | 2023 | down 26.3% | rising |
| 52 | Mauritius | 9.6 | 2019 | down 14.6% | falling |
| 53 | Croatia | 8.91 | 2024 | down 67.1% | falling |
| 54 | Canada | 8.85 | 2025 | down 3.8% | falling |
| 55 | Romania | 8.8 | 2024 | down 32.8% | falling |
| 56 | Slovenia | 8.21 | 2024 | down 55.7% | falling |
| 57 | Bangladesh | 7.8 | 2024 | up 13.0% | rising |
| 58 | Sri Lanka | 7.6 | 2024 | up 20.9% | rising |
| 59 | Mongolia | 7.49 | 2025 | down 43.7% | falling |
| 60 | Slovakia | 7.3 | 2023 | down 58.2% | falling |
| 61 | Malta | 7.18 | 2024 | down 34.6% | falling |
| 62 | El Salvador | 7.14 | 2025 | down 48.6% | falling |
| 63 | Germany | 7.08 | 2024 | down 36.9% | falling |
| 64 | Singapore | 7.01 | 2025 | — | falling |
| 65 | Seychelles | 6.47 | 2025 | down 31.5% | falling |
| 66 | Hungary | 6.43 | 2024 | down 51.8% | falling |
| 67 | Cambodia | 6.42 | 2025 | up 47.3% | falling |
| 68 | Bulgaria | 6.3 | 2024 | down 66.5% | falling |
| 69 | United States | 5.99 | 2025 | down 16.5% | falling |
| 70 | Poland | 5.33 | 2024 | down 65.5% | falling |
| 71 | Belarus | 4.74 | 2024 | down 48.3% | falling |
| 72 | Czechia | 3.8 | 2024 | down 52.4% | falling |
| 73 | Vietnam | 3.23 | 2024 | down 23.2% | falling |
| 74 | Moldova | 2.87 | 2025 | down 48.9% | falling |
| 75 | Thailand | 1.24 | 2025 | down 23.0% | falling |
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. LU4 represents the share of the extended labour force that are in unemployment, time-related underemployment or the potential labour force. Data disaggregated by level of education are provided on the highest level of education completed, classified according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISCED. For more information, refer to the Education and Mismatch Indicators (EMI) database description.