Potential labour force in South America

South America: Potential labour force was 11,676 in 2027. ▲ Rising

Latest (2027)
11,676
Change on year
down 0.0%
Rank
34th
of 87 groups
All-time high
17,984
in 2020
All-time low
8,475
in 2014
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Potential labour force in South America, 2004–2027

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k2004201520272004: 10.9k2005: 10.8k2006: 10.4k2007: 9.9k2008: 9.7k2009: 10.2k2010: 10.1k2011: 9.8k2012: 9.9k2013: 9.0k2014: 8.5k2015: 8.8k2016: 10.2k2017: 11.1k2018: 11.9k2019: 12.3k2020: 18.0k2021: 14.8k2022: 12.2k2023: 11.1k2024: 11.0k2025: 11.8k2026: 11.7k2027: 11.7k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for potential labour force in South America is 11,676, measured in 2027.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, potential labour force in South America peaked at 17,984 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8,475, in 2014.

South America ranks 34th of 87 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Potential labour force in South America, year by year

Annual values for Potential labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in South America, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 10,870
2005 10,788 -0.8%
2006 10,360 -4.0%
2007 9,930 -4.1%
2008 9,671 -2.6%
2009 10,220 +5.7%
2010 10,106 -1.1%
2011 9,821 -2.8%
2012 9,878 +0.6%
2013 8,995 -8.9%
2014 8,475 -5.8%
2015 8,835 +4.2%
2016 10,219 +15.7%
2017 11,093 +8.5%
2018 11,886 +7.1%
2019 12,307 +3.5%
2020 17,984 +46.1%
2021 14,846 -17.4%
2022 12,221 -17.7%
2023 11,062 -9.5%
2024 10,953 -1.0%
2025 11,794 +7.7%
2026 11,678 -1.0%
2027 11,676 -0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 10,307 9,671 10,870 6
2010s 10,161 8,475 12,307 10
2020s 12,777 10,953 17,984 8

More work & labour data for South America

All data for South America →

Frequently asked questions

What is potential labour force in South America?
Potential labour force in South America was 11,676 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest potential labour force recorded in South America?
The highest recorded value was 17,984 in 2020.
What is the lowest potential labour force recorded in South America?
The lowest recorded value was 8,475 in 2014.
How does South America rank for potential labour force?
South America ranks 34th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is potential labour force rising or falling in South America?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South America 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Potential labour force in South America. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/potential-labour-force-ilo-modelled-estimates/south-america/

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-ilo-modelled-estimates/south-america/">Potential labour force in South America</a> — Statizoid

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.