Labour force participation by country, 2025
People aged 15 and over who are employed or looking for work, as a share of the population of that age, from the ILO modelled estimates. Values for the current and following years are ILO projections.
181 places ranked for 2025. Highest: Qatar (87.0%). Lowest: São Tomé and Príncipe (23.3%). The median is 61.7%.
Highest 10
- 1. Qatar 87.0%
- 2. Madagascar 85.5%
- 3. Solomon Islands 84.3%
- 4. Tanzania 83.7%
- 5. Nigeria 82.5%
- 6. Cambodia 82.4%
- 7. North Korea 82.2%
- 8. Uganda 80.0%
- 9. Niger 79.7%
- 10. Mozambique 78.7%
Lowest 10
- 181. São Tomé and Príncipe 23.3%
- 180. Djibouti 31.7%
- 179. Yemen 33.1%
- 178. Somalia, Fed. Rep. 33.8%
- 177. Syria 36.9%
- 176. Afghanistan 37.5%
- 175. Tajikistan 38.3%
- 174. Nepal 39.2%
- 173. Jordan 40.1%
- 172. Mauritania 40.8%
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The chart shows the 40 highest values; the table lists all 181. Source: ILO, ILOSTAT (ILO Modelled Estimates).
In short
- Among the 181 countries with a value for 2025, the highest is Qatar (87.0%) and the lowest São Tomé and Príncipe (23.3%).
- Half of the countries are above 61.7% and half below.
- From 2024 to 2025 the value rose in 41 countries and fell in 140.
- The figure for the world was 60.8% in 2025, against 59.7% in 2020 (+1.2 percentage points).
Full ranking
| # | Country | Value | Period | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar | 87.0% | 2025 | |
| 2 | Madagascar | 85.5% | 2025 | |
| 3 | Solomon Islands | 84.3% | 2025 | |
| 4 | Tanzania | 83.7% | 2025 | |
| 5 | Nigeria | 82.5% | 2025 | |
| 6 | Cambodia | 82.4% | 2025 | |
| 7 | North Korea | 82.2% | 2025 | |
| 8 | Uganda | 80.0% | 2025 | |
| 9 | Niger | 79.7% | 2025 | |
| 10 | Mozambique | 78.7% | 2025 | |
| 11 | Bolivia | 78.6% | 2025 | |
| 12 | United Arab Emirates | 78.6% | 2025 | |
| 13 | Eritrea | 78.3% | 2025 | |
| 14 | Burundi | 78.3% | 2025 | |
| 15 | Liberia | 76.6% | 2025 | |
| 16 | Benin | 76.4% | 2025 | |
| 17 | Iceland | 74.9% | 2025 | |
| 18 | Angola | 74.8% | 2025 | |
| 19 | Bahamas | 73.8% | 2025 | |
| 20 | Central African Republic | 73.4% | 2025 | |
| 21 | Kuwait | 73.4% | 2025 | |
| 22 | Peru | 72.9% | 2025 | |
| 23 | Viet Nam | 72.8% | 2025 | |
| 24 | Moldova | 72.3% | 2025 | |
| 25 | Bahrain | 70.4% | 2025 | |
| 26 | New Zealand | 70.4% | 2025 | |
| 27 | Paraguay | 70.2% | 2025 | |
| 28 | Burkina Faso | 70.0% | 2025 | |
| 29 | Singapore | 69.7% | 2025 | |
| 30 | Jamaica | 69.6% | 2025 | |
| 31 | Botswana | 68.8% | 2025 | |
| 32 | Ethiopia | 68.5% | 2025 | |
| 33 | Oman | 68.4% | 2025 | |
| 34 | Saint Lucia | 68.3% | 2025 | |
| 35 | Indonesia | 68.0% | 2025 | |
| 36 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 67.9% | 2025 | |
| 37 | Macao SAR, China | 67.8% | 2025 | |
| 38 | Republic of the Congo | 67.8% | 2025 | |
| 39 | Kazakhstan | 67.8% | 2025 | |
| 40 | Zimbabwe | 67.7% | 2025 | |
| 41 | Kenya | 67.4% | 2025 | |
| 42 | Netherlands | 67.2% | 2025 | |
| 43 | Côte d'Ivoire | 67.1% | 2025 | |
| 44 | Mali | 67.0% | 2025 | |
| 45 | Timor-Leste | 67.0% | 2025 | |
| 46 | Cyprus | 67.0% | 2025 | |
| 47 | Switzerland | 66.7% | 2025 | |
| 48 | Thailand | 66.7% | 2025 | |
| 49 | Australia | 66.5% | 2025 | |
| 50 | Panama | 66.3% | 2025 | |
| 51 | Malaysia | 66.1% | 2025 | |
| 52 | Laos | 66.1% | 2025 | |
| 53 | Nicaragua | 66.1% | 2025 | |
| 54 | Norway | 65.6% | 2025 | |
| 55 | Israel | 65.5% | 2025 | |
| 56 | Cameroon | 65.2% | 2025 | |
| 57 | Estonia | 65.1% | 2025 | |
| 58 | Saudi Arabia | 65.1% | 2025 | |
| 59 | Uruguay | 65.0% | 2025 | |
| 60 | Denmark | 64.9% | 2025 | |
| 61 | Ireland | 64.8% | 2025 | |
| 62 | Dominican Republic | 64.8% | 2025 | |
| 63 | Bhutan | 64.8% | 2025 | |
| 64 | Guinea-Bissau | 64.8% | 2025 | |
| 65 | Barbados | 64.7% | 2025 | |
| 66 | Sweden | 64.6% | 2025 | |
| 67 | China | 64.6% | 2025 | |
| 68 | Canada | 64.5% | 2025 | |
| 69 | Ecuador | 64.5% | 2025 | |
| 70 | South Korea | 64.4% | 2025 | |
| 71 | Georgia | 64.3% | 2025 | |
| 72 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 64.3% | 2025 | |
| 73 | Albania | 64.3% | 2025 | |
| 74 | Brunei | 64.2% | 2025 | |
| 75 | Malta | 64.0% | 2025 | |
| 76 | Haiti | 63.9% | 2025 | |
| 77 | Rwanda | 63.7% | 2025 | |
| 78 | Maldives | 63.5% | 2025 | |
| 79 | Japan | 63.4% | 2025 | |
| 80 | Colombia | 63.4% | 2025 | |
| 81 | Azerbaijan | 63.3% | 2025 | |
| 82 | Brazil | 63.1% | 2025 | |
| 83 | Lithuania | 62.9% | 2025 | |
| 84 | Belarus | 62.7% | 2025 | |
| 85 | Malawi | 62.6% | 2025 | |
| 86 | Chile | 62.3% | 2025 | |
| 87 | Guam | 62.3% | 2025 | |
| 88 | El Salvador | 62.1% | 2025 | |
| 89 | Zambia | 61.9% | 2025 | |
| 90 | Argentina | 61.9% | 2025 | |
| 91 | United States | 61.7% | 2025 | |
| 92 | Mexico | 61.6% | 2025 | |
| 93 | Luxembourg | 61.5% | 2025 | |
| 94 | United Kingdom | 61.4% | 2025 | |
| 95 | Philippines | 61.4% | 2025 | |
| 96 | Russia | 61.1% | 2025 | |
| 97 | Hungary | 60.6% | 2025 | |
| 98 | Germany | 60.6% | 2025 | |
| 99 | Latvia | 60.5% | 2025 | |
| 100 | Equatorial Guinea | 60.5% | 2025 | |
| 101 | Slovakia | 60.4% | 2025 | |
| 102 | Czechia | 60.3% | 2025 | |
| 103 | Austria | 60.1% | 2025 | |
| 104 | Mongolia | 59.7% | 2025 | |
| 105 | Finland | 59.7% | 2025 | |
| 106 | Guatemala | 59.6% | 2025 | |
| 107 | Chad | 59.4% | 2025 | |
| 108 | Armenia | 59.4% | 2025 | |
| 109 | Serbia | 59.1% | 2025 | |
| 110 | Belize | 59.1% | 2025 | |
| 111 | Namibia | 58.8% | 2025 | |
| 112 | Bangladesh | 58.8% | 2025 | |
| 113 | Mauritius | 58.5% | 2025 | |
| 114 | Ghana | 58.5% | 2025 | |
| 115 | Poland | 58.3% | 2025 | |
| 116 | Portugal | 58.2% | 2025 | |
| 117 | Vanuatu | 58.1% | 2025 | |
| 118 | Montenegro | 58.0% | 2025 | |
| 119 | Togo | 57.8% | 2025 | |
| 120 | Trinidad and Tobago | 57.8% | 2025 | |
| 121 | Costa Rica | 57.7% | 2025 | |
| 122 | Slovenia | 57.6% | 2025 | |
| 123 | Uzbekistan | 57.5% | 2025 | |
| 124 | Spain | 57.4% | 2025 | |
| 125 | Kyrgyzstan | 57.4% | 2025 | |
| 126 | Fiji | 57.2% | 2025 | |
| 127 | Lesotho | 57.1% | 2025 | |
| 128 | Cabo Verde | 57.0% | 2025 | |
| 129 | Honduras | 56.6% | 2025 | |
| 130 | New Caledonia | 56.4% | 2025 | |
| 131 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 56.4% | 2025 | |
| 132 | Bulgaria | 56.1% | 2025 | |
| 133 | Comoros | 55.8% | 2025 | |
| 134 | India | 55.7% | 2025 | |
| 135 | South Africa | 55.6% | 2025 | |
| 136 | France | 55.3% | 2025 | |
| 137 | Myanmar | 55.1% | 2025 | |
| 138 | Guyana | 55.0% | 2025 | |
| 139 | Türkiye | 54.4% | 2025 | |
| 140 | US Virgin Islands | 54.4% | 2025 | |
| 141 | Belgium | 54.3% | 2025 | |
| 142 | Suriname | 53.8% | 2025 | |
| 143 | Sierra Leone | 53.4% | 2025 | |
| 144 | Guinea | 52.6% | 2025 | |
| 145 | French Polynesia | 52.4% | 2025 | |
| 146 | Pakistan | 52.3% | 2025 | |
| 147 | Cuba | 52.2% | 2025 | |
| 148 | Croatia | 52.1% | 2025 | |
| 149 | Papua New Guinea | 52.1% | 2025 | |
| 150 | Senegal | 52.0% | 2025 | |
| 151 | Greece | 52.0% | 2025 | |
| 152 | North Macedonia | 51.9% | 2025 | |
| 153 | Venezuela | 51.9% | 2025 | |
| 154 | Romania | 51.3% | 2025 | |
| 155 | Eswatini | 51.2% | 2025 | |
| 156 | Gabon | 51.1% | 2025 | |
| 157 | Tonga | 49.8% | 2025 | |
| 158 | Italy | 49.3% | 2025 | |
| 159 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 49.0% | 2025 | |
| 160 | Sri Lanka | 48.5% | 2025 | |
| 161 | Libya | 48.0% | 2025 | |
| 162 | Gambia | 47.5% | 2025 | |
| 163 | Tunisia | 45.2% | 2025 | |
| 164 | Egypt | 44.6% | 2025 | |
| 165 | Morocco | 43.9% | 2025 | |
| 166 | Puerto Rico (US) | 42.8% | 2025 | |
| 167 | Samoa | 42.5% | 2025 | |
| 168 | Turkmenistan | 42.0% | 2025 | |
| 169 | Iraq | 41.5% | 2025 | |
| 170 | Iran | 41.0% | 2025 | |
| 171 | Algeria | 40.8% | 2025 | |
| 172 | Mauritania | 40.8% | 2025 | |
| 173 | Jordan | 40.1% | 2025 | |
| 174 | Nepal | 39.2% | 2025 | |
| 175 | Tajikistan | 38.3% | 2025 | |
| 176 | Afghanistan | 37.5% | 2025 | |
| 177 | Syria | 36.9% | 2025 | |
| 178 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 33.8% | 2025 | |
| 179 | Yemen | 33.1% | 2025 | |
| 180 | Djibouti | 31.7% | 2025 | |
| 181 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 23.3% | 2025 |
Places are ordered from the highest to the lowest value. Group medians on this site are the middle value of the members with data for the same year; they are not official aggregates.
How this ranking works
Every country is ranked on its value for 2025, the latest period that most countries have, so all values are for the same point in time. Countries without a value for 2025 are left out. Groups and aggregates such as the European Union are not ranked. Values are as published by ILOSTAT; the ranking is a plain ordering from the highest to the lowest value and says nothing about whether a high value is good or bad.
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