Indicator guide · SL.TLF.CACT.ZS

Labor force participation
by country

Share of the working-age population that is employed or seeking work. The table keeps each country's reported year visible so stale and current observations are not treated as equivalent.

What it helps answer

Reading the signal

Shows how much of the adult population is engaged with the labor market and complements the unemployment rate.

Before comparing

Important limits

Differences reflect demographics, education, retirement, care responsibilities and informality as well as job opportunity. Modeled estimates may differ from national releases.

Measurement

% ages 15+

World Bank indicator SL.TLF.CACT.ZS. Values can be revised as national statistical agencies and international datasets update.

Source definition

Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate)

Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.

Original source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: January 17, 2026

60-market reference table

Latest reported values

Sorted by value, not by a common year. Check the year column before drawing a direct comparison.

% ages 15+
Curated markets with an available observation in the last 15 years.
PositionCountryRegionValueYearExplore
1 Qatar Middle East 87.01% 2025 Compare
2 Nigeria Sub-Saharan Africa 82.52% 2025 Compare
3 United Arab Emirates Middle East 78.59% 2025 Compare
4 Kuwait Middle East 73.37% 2025 Compare
5 Peru Latin America 72.86% 2025 Compare
6 Vietnam Southeast Asia 72.78% 2025 Compare
7 New Zealand Oceania 70.35% 2025 Compare
8 Singapore Southeast Asia 69.67% 2025 Compare
9 Ethiopia Sub-Saharan Africa 68.46% 2025 Compare
10 Indonesia Southeast Asia 67.97% 2025 Compare
11 Kenya Sub-Saharan Africa 67.39% 2025 Compare
12 Netherlands Europe 67.25% 2025 Compare
13 Switzerland Europe 66.75% 2025 Compare
14 Thailand Southeast Asia 66.68% 2025 Compare
15 Australia Oceania 66.54% 2025 Compare
16 Malaysia Southeast Asia 66.12% 2025 Compare
17 Norway Europe 65.61% 2025 Compare
18 Israel Middle East 65.49% 2025 Compare
19 Saudi Arabia Middle East 65.10% 2025 Compare
20 Uruguay Latin America 64.99% 2025 Compare
21 Denmark Europe 64.94% 2025 Compare
22 Ireland Europe 64.84% 2025 Compare
23 Sweden Europe 64.60% 2025 Compare
24 China East Asia 64.55% 2025 Compare
25 Canada North America 64.52% 2025 Compare
26 Ecuador Latin America 64.50% 2025 Compare
27 South Korea East Asia 64.35% 2025 Compare
28 Japan East Asia 63.45% 2025 Compare
29 Colombia Latin America 63.40% 2025 Compare
30 Brazil Latin America 63.14% 2025 Compare
31 Chile Latin America 62.30% 2025 Compare
32 Argentina Latin America 61.91% 2025 Compare
33 United States North America 61.70% 2025 Compare
34 Mexico Latin America 61.61% 2025 Compare
35 United Kingdom Europe 61.37% 2025 Compare
36 Philippines Southeast Asia 61.35% 2025 Compare
37 Hungary Europe 60.58% 2025 Compare
38 Germany Europe 60.57% 2025 Compare
39 Czechia Europe 60.34% 2025 Compare
40 Austria Europe 60.12% 2025 Compare
41 Finland Europe 59.68% 2025 Compare
42 Bangladesh South Asia 58.80% 2025 Compare
43 Ghana Sub-Saharan Africa 58.52% 2025 Compare
44 Poland Europe 58.31% 2025 Compare
45 Portugal Europe 58.16% 2025 Compare
46 Costa Rica Latin America 57.66% 2025 Compare
47 Spain Europe 57.41% 2025 Compare
48 India South Asia 55.66% 2025 Compare
49 South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa 55.58% 2025 Compare
50 France Europe 55.35% 2025 Compare
51 Ukraine Europe 54.64% 2021 Compare
52 Turkiye Europe & Central Asia 54.38% 2025 Compare
53 Belgium Europe 54.27% 2025 Compare
54 Pakistan South Asia 52.34% 2025 Compare
55 Greece Europe 51.96% 2025 Compare
56 Romania Europe 51.33% 2025 Compare
57 Italy Europe 49.30% 2025 Compare
58 Egypt Middle East & North Africa 44.57% 2025 Compare
59 Morocco Middle East & North Africa 43.94% 2025 Compare
60 Algeria Middle East & North Africa 40.78% 2025 Compare

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Retrieved 2026-08-26. Open the source indicator · Download 15-year CSV.

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