Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Germany

Germany: Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 1,181 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
1,181
Change on year
up 4.0%
World rank
7th
of 61 countries
All-time high
1,458
in 2020
All-time low
812.3
in 2019
Years of data
11
2014–2024

Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Germany, 2014–2024

05001.0k1.5k2014201920242014: 8882015: 909.42016: 936.92017: 903.92018: 832.22019: 812.32020: 1.5k2021: 1.1k2022: 1.1k2023: 1.1k2024: 1.2k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in Germany is 1,181, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 33.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in Germany peaked at 1,458 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 812.3, in 2019.

That places Germany 7th out of 61 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.

Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Germany, year by year

Annual values for Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+) in Germany, 2014 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2014 888.02
2015 909.39 +2.4%
2016 936.94 +3.0%
2017 903.89 -3.5%
2018 832.18 -7.9%
2019 812.3 -2.4%
2020 1,458 +79.5%
2021 1,109 -23.9%
2022 1,110 +0.1%
2023 1,136 +2.4%
2024 1,181 +4.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 880.45 812.3 936.94 6
2020s 1,199 1,109 1,458 5

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 4 Italy 2,057 compare
  2. 5 United States 1,732 compare
  3. 6 Rwanda 1,506 compare
  4. 8 Zimbabwe 1,171 compare
  5. 9 France 1,167 compare
  6. 10 Chile 955.4 compare

See the full ranking of 61 places →

More work & labour data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in Germany?
Potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in Germany was 1,181 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 1,458 in 2020.
What is the lowest potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 812.3 in 2019.
How does Germany rank for potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19)?
Germany ranks 7th out of 61 countries with data for 2024.
Is potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is up 33.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Germany data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Germany. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/potential-labour-force-current-ilo-definition-icls19-15/germany/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/potential-labour-force-current-ilo-definition-icls19-15/germany/">Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Germany</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
61 places, 595 data points, 2014–2025
Last refreshed

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 includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. The potential labour force refers to persons not in employment who express an interest in this form of work but for whom existing conditions limit their active job search and/or their availability. This group is used to calculate alternative measures of labour underutilization. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.