Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Portugal
Portugal: Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 126.82 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Portugal, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 126.82 for potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.7% on the previous year and down 53.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in Portugal peaked at 292.54 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 121.14, in 2024.
Portugal ranks 28th of 61 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Potential labour force (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Portugal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 292.54 | — |
| 2015 | 275 | -6.0% |
| 2016 | 251.68 | -8.5% |
| 2017 | 229.99 | -8.6% |
| 2018 | 199.31 | -13.3% |
| 2019 | 185.52 | -6.9% |
| 2020 | 242.44 | +30.7% |
| 2021 | 203.92 | -15.9% |
| 2022 | 156.54 | -23.2% |
| 2023 | 125.51 | -19.8% |
| 2024 | 121.14 | -3.5% |
| 2025 | 126.82 | +4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 239.01 | 185.52 | 292.54 | 6 |
| 2020s | 162.73 | 121.14 | 242.44 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More work & labour data for Portugal
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0538 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.055 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0528 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1795 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 7,134 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,861 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 4,504 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 4,250 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 8,754 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in Portugal?
- Potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) in Portugal was 126.82 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 292.54 in 2014.
- What is the lowest potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 121.14 in 2024.
- How does Portugal rank for potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- Portugal ranks 28th out of 61 countries with data for 2025.
- Is potential labour force (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 53.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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.
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CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
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 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.