Potential labour force in Western Europe
Western Europe: Potential labour force was 3,184 in 2027. ▲ Rising
Potential labour force in Western Europe, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for potential labour force in Western Europe is 3,184, measured in 2027.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potential labour force in Western Europe peaked at 3,741 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2,528, in 2010.
That places Western Europe 59th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it 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 Western Europe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 2,569 | — |
| 2005 | 3,079 | +19.9% |
| 2006 | 3,072 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 2,930 | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 2,771 | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 2,663 | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 2,528 | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 2,679 | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 2,656 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 2,605 | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 3,007 | +15.4% |
| 2015 | 3,037 | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 3,015 | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 2,896 | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 2,780 | -4.0% |
| 2019 | 2,678 | -3.7% |
| 2020 | 3,741 | +39.7% |
| 2021 | 3,277 | -12.4% |
| 2022 | 3,070 | -6.3% |
| 2023 | 3,136 | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 3,167 | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 3,198 | +1.0% |
| 2026 | 3,207 | +0.3% |
| 2027 | 3,184 | -0.7% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Potential labour force in Western Europe 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +39.7% | 2,678 | 3,741 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2,847 | 2,569 | 3,079 | 6 |
| 2010s | 2,788 | 2,528 | 3,037 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,247 | 3,070 | 3,741 | 8 |
More work & labour data for Western Europe
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 91,861 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0615 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0749 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0476 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.77 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1881 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 173,621 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 185,317 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 93,457 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 25,875 1000 No (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is potential labour force in Western Europe?
- Potential labour force in Western Europe was 3,184 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest potential labour force recorded in Western Europe?
- The highest recorded value was 3,741 in 2020.
- What is the lowest potential labour force recorded in Western Europe?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,528 in 2010.
- How does Western Europe rank for potential labour force?
- Western Europe ranks 59th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is potential labour force rising or falling in Western Europe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Western Europe 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).
About this data
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.