Potential labour force in Caribbean

Caribbean: Potential labour force was 1,918 in 2027. ▲ Rising

Latest (2027)
1,918
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
72nd
of 87 countries
All-time high
2,043
in 2020
All-time low
1,536
in 2004
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Potential labour force in Caribbean, 2004–2027

05001.0k1.5k2.0k2004201520272004: 1.5k2005: 1.6k2006: 1.7k2007: 1.8k2008: 1.8k2009: 1.8k2010: 1.8k2011: 1.8k2012: 1.7k2013: 1.7k2014: 1.7k2015: 1.7k2016: 1.7k2017: 1.7k2018: 1.6k2019: 1.6k2020: 2.0k2021: 1.9k2022: 1.8k2023: 1.9k2024: 1.8k2025: 1.9k2026: 1.9k2027: 1.9k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2027, potential labour force in Caribbean stood at 1,918.

That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 11.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, potential labour force in Caribbean peaked at 2,043 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1,536, in 2004.

Caribbean ranks 72nd of 87 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Potential labour force in Caribbean, year by year

Annual values for Potential labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in Caribbean, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 1,536 —
2005 1,622 +5.6%
2006 1,703 +5.0%
2007 1,777 +4.3%
2008 1,754 -1.3%
2009 1,758 +0.2%
2010 1,782 +1.4%
2011 1,754 -1.5%
2012 1,749 -0.3%
2013 1,747 -0.1%
2014 1,749 +0.1%
2015 1,737 -0.6%
2016 1,719 -1.0%
2017 1,723 +0.2%
2018 1,642 -4.7%
2019 1,631 -0.7%
2020 2,043 +25.3%
2021 1,944 -4.8%
2022 1,823 -6.2%
2023 1,850 +1.5%
2024 1,849 -0.1%
2025 1,879 +1.6%
2026 1,903 +1.3%
2027 1,918 +0.8%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Potential labour force in Caribbean changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2020 +25.3% 1,631 2,043

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1,692 1,536 1,777 6
2010s 1,723 1,631 1,782 10
2020s 1,901 1,823 2,043 8

More work & labour data for Caribbean

All data for Caribbean →

Frequently asked questions

What is potential labour force in Caribbean?
Potential labour force in Caribbean was 1,918 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest potential labour force recorded in Caribbean?
The highest recorded value was 2,043 in 2020.
What is the lowest potential labour force recorded in Caribbean?
The lowest recorded value was 1,536 in 2004.
How does Caribbean rank for potential labour force?
Caribbean ranks 72nd out of 87 countries with data for 2027.
Is potential labour force rising or falling in Caribbean?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Caribbean data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Potential labour force (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Potential labour force in Caribbean. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/potential-labour-force-ilo-modelled-estimates/caribbean/

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About this data

Indicator
Potential labour force (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
87 places, 2,088 data points, 2004–2027
Last refreshed

Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. 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 ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.