Labour force participation
% aged 15+ · no best or worst — smallest to largest
186 of 216 countries report a figure for labour force participation
World average: 60.5%
| Rank | Country | Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #186 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 23.3% | 2025 | |
| #185 | Djibouti | 31.7% | 2025 | |
| #184 | Yemen | 33.1% | 2025 | |
| #183 | Somalia | 33.8% | 2025 | |
| #182 | Syria | 36.9% | 2025 | |
| #181 | Afghanistan | 37.5% | 2025 | |
| #180 | Sudan | 37.5% | 2022 | |
| #179 | Tajikistan | 38.3% | 2025 | |
| #178 | Nepal | 39.2% | 2025 | |
| #177 | Jordan | 40.1% | 2025 | |
| #176 | Mauritania | 40.8% | 2025 | |
| #175 | Algeria | 40.8% | 2025 | |
| #174 | Iran | 41.0% | 2025 | |
| #173 | Iraq | 41.5% | 2025 | |
| #172 | Turkmenistan | 42.0% | 2025 | |
| #171 | Samoa | 42.5% | 2025 | |
| #170 | Puerto Rico | 42.8% | 2025 | |
| #169 | Lebanon | 43.4% | 2023 | |
| #168 | Morocco | 43.9% | 2025 | |
| #167 | Egypt | 44.6% | 2025 | |
| #166 | Palestine | 45.0% | 2022 | |
| #165 | Tunisia | 45.2% | 2025 | |
| #164 | The Gambia | 47.5% | 2025 | |
| #163 | Libya | 48.0% | 2025 | |
| #162 | Sri Lanka | 48.5% | 2025 | |
| #161 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 49.0% | 2025 | |
| #160 | Italy | 49.3% | 2025 | |
| #159 | Tonga | 49.8% | 2025 | |
| #158 | Gabon | 51.1% | 2025 | |
| #157 | Eswatini | 51.2% | 2025 | |
| #156 | Romania | 51.3% | 2025 | |
| #155 | Venezuela | 51.9% | 2025 | |
| #154 | North Macedonia | 51.9% | 2025 | |
| #153 | Greece | 52.0% | 2025 | |
| #152 | Senegal | 52.0% | 2025 | |
| #151 | Papua New Guinea | 52.1% | 2025 | |
| #150 | Croatia | 52.1% | 2025 | |
| #149 | Cuba | 52.2% | 2025 | |
| #148 | Pakistan | 52.3% | 2025 | |
| #147 | French Polynesia | 52.4% | 2025 | |
| #146 | Guinea | 52.6% | 2025 | |
| #145 | Sierra Leone | 53.4% | 2025 | |
| #144 | Suriname | 53.8% | 2025 | |
| #143 | Belgium | 54.3% | 2025 | |
| #142 | United States Virgin Islands | 54.4% | 2025 | |
| #141 | Turkey | 54.4% | 2025 | |
| #140 | Ukraine | 54.6% | 2021 | |
| #139 | Guyana | 55.0% | 2025 | |
| #138 | Myanmar | 55.1% | 2025 | |
| #137 | France | 55.3% | 2025 | |
| #136 | South Africa | 55.6% | 2025 | |
| #135 | India | 55.7% | 2025 | |
| #134 | Comoros | 55.8% | 2025 | |
| #133 | Bulgaria | 56.1% | 2025 | |
| #132 | Hong Kong | 56.4% | 2025 | |
| #131 | New Caledonia | 56.4% | 2025 | |
| #130 | Honduras | 56.6% | 2025 | |
| #129 | Cape Verde | 57.0% | 2025 | |
| #128 | Lesotho | 57.1% | 2025 | |
| #127 | Fiji | 57.2% | 2025 | |
| #126 | Kyrgyzstan | 57.4% | 2025 | |
| #125 | Spain | 57.4% | 2025 | |
| #124 | Uzbekistan | 57.5% | 2025 | |
| #123 | Slovenia | 57.6% | 2025 | |
| #122 | Costa Rica | 57.7% | 2025 | |
| #121 | Trinidad and Tobago | 57.8% | 2025 | |
| #120 | Togo | 57.8% | 2025 | |
| #119 | Montenegro | 58.0% | 2025 | |
| #118 | Vanuatu | 58.1% | 2025 | |
| #117 | Portugal | 58.2% | 2025 | |
| #116 | Poland | 58.3% | 2025 | |
| #115 | Ghana | 58.5% | 2025 | |
| #114 | Mauritius | 58.5% | 2025 | |
| #113 | Bangladesh | 58.8% | 2025 | |
| #112 | Namibia | 58.8% | 2025 | |
| #111 | Belize | 59.1% | 2025 | |
| #110 | Serbia | 59.1% | 2025 | |
| #109 | Armenia | 59.4% | 2025 | |
| #108 | Chad | 59.4% | 2025 | |
| #107 | Guatemala | 59.6% | 2025 | |
| #106 | Finland | 59.7% | 2025 | |
| #105 | Mongolia | 59.7% | 2025 | |
| #104 | Austria | 60.1% | 2025 | |
| #103 | Czech Republic | 60.3% | 2025 | |
| #102 | Slovakia | 60.4% | 2025 | |
| #101 | Equatorial Guinea | 60.5% | 2025 | |
| #100 | Latvia | 60.5% | 2025 | |
| #99 | Germany | 60.6% | 2025 | |
| #98 | Hungary | 60.6% | 2025 | |
| #97 | Russia | 61.1% | 2025 | |
| #96 | Philippines | 61.4% | 2025 | |
| #95 | United Kingdom | 61.4% | 2025 | |
| #94 | Luxembourg | 61.5% | 2025 | |
| #93 | Mexico | 61.6% | 2025 | |
| #92 | United States | 61.7% | 2025 | |
| #91 | Argentina | 61.9% | 2025 | |
| #90 | Zambia | 61.9% | 2025 | |
| #89 | El Salvador | 62.1% | 2025 | |
| #88 | Guam | 62.3% | 2025 | |
| #87 | Chile | 62.3% | 2025 | |
| #86 | Malawi | 62.6% | 2025 | |
| #85 | Belarus | 62.7% | 2025 | |
| #84 | Lithuania | 62.9% | 2025 | |
| #83 | Brazil | 63.1% | 2025 | |
| #82 | Azerbaijan | 63.3% | 2025 | |
| #81 | Colombia | 63.4% | 2025 | |
| #80 | Japan | 63.4% | 2025 | |
| #79 | Maldives | 63.5% | 2025 | |
| #78 | Rwanda | 63.7% | 2025 | |
| #77 | Haiti | 63.9% | 2025 | |
| #76 | Malta | 64.0% | 2025 | |
| #75 | Brunei | 64.2% | 2025 | |
| #74 | Albania | 64.3% | 2025 | |
| #73 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 64.3% | 2025 | |
| #72 | Georgia | 64.3% | 2025 | |
| #71 | South Korea | 64.4% | 2025 | |
| #70 | Ecuador | 64.5% | 2025 | |
| #69 | Canada | 64.5% | 2025 | |
| #68 | People's Republic of China | 64.6% | 2025 | |
| #67 | Sweden | 64.6% | 2025 | |
| #66 | Barbados | 64.7% | 2025 | |
| #65 | Guinea-Bissau | 64.8% | 2025 | |
| #64 | Bhutan | 64.8% | 2025 | |
| #63 | Dominican Republic | 64.8% | 2025 | |
| #62 | Ireland | 64.8% | 2025 | |
| #61 | Denmark | 64.9% | 2025 | |
| #60 | Uruguay | 65.0% | 2025 | |
| #59 | Saudi Arabia | 65.1% | 2025 | |
| #58 | Estonia | 65.1% | 2025 | |
| #57 | Cameroon | 65.2% | 2025 | |
| #56 | Israel | 65.5% | 2025 | |
| #55 | Norway | 65.6% | 2025 | |
| #54 | Nicaragua | 66.1% | 2025 | |
| #53 | Laos | 66.1% | 2025 | |
| #52 | Malaysia | 66.1% | 2025 | |
| #51 | Panama | 66.3% | 2025 | |
| #50 | Australia | 66.5% | 2025 | |
| #49 | Thailand | 66.7% | 2025 | |
| #48 | Switzerland | 66.7% | 2025 | |
| #47 | Cyprus | 67.0% | 2025 | |
| #46 | Timor-Leste | 67.0% | 2025 | |
| #45 | Mali | 67.0% | 2025 | |
| #44 | Ivory Coast | 67.1% | 2025 | |
| #43 | Kingdom of the Netherlands | 67.2% | 2025 | |
| #42 | Kenya | 67.4% | 2025 | |
| #41 | Zimbabwe | 67.7% | 2025 | |
| #40 | Kazakhstan | 67.8% | 2025 | |
| #39 | Republic of the Congo | 67.8% | 2025 | |
| #38 | Macau | 67.8% | 2025 | |
| #37 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 67.9% | 2025 | |
| #36 | Indonesia | 68.0% | 2025 | |
| #35 | Saint Lucia | 68.3% | 2025 | |
| #34 | Oman | 68.4% | 2025 | |
| #33 | Ethiopia | 68.5% | 2025 | |
| #32 | Botswana | 68.8% | 2025 | |
| #31 | Jamaica | 69.6% | 2025 | |
| #30 | Singapore | 69.7% | 2025 | |
| #29 | Burkina Faso | 70.0% | 2025 | |
| #28 | Paraguay | 70.2% | 2025 | |
| #27 | New Zealand | 70.4% | 2025 | |
| #26 | Bahrain | 70.4% | 2025 | |
| #25 | Moldova | 72.3% | 2025 | |
| #24 | Vietnam | 72.8% | 2025 | |
| #23 | Peru | 72.9% | 2025 | |
| #22 | Kuwait | 73.4% | 2025 | |
| #21 | Central African Republic | 73.4% | 2025 | |
| #20 | South Sudan | 73.4% | 2023 | |
| #19 | The Bahamas | 73.8% | 2025 | |
| #18 | Angola | 74.8% | 2025 | |
| #17 | Iceland | 74.9% | 2025 | |
| #16 | Benin | 76.4% | 2025 | |
| #15 | Liberia | 76.6% | 2025 | |
| #14 | Burundi | 78.3% | 2025 | |
| #13 | Eritrea | 78.3% | 2025 | |
| #12 | United Arab Emirates | 78.6% | 2025 | |
| #11 | Bolivia | 78.6% | 2025 | |
| #10 | Mozambique | 78.7% | 2025 | |
| #9 | Niger | 79.7% | 2025 | |
| #8 | Uganda | 80.0% | 2025 | |
| #7 | North Korea | 82.2% | 2025 | |
| #6 | Cambodia | 82.4% | 2025 | |
| #5 | Nigeria | 82.5% | 2025 | |
| #4 | Tanzania | 83.7% | 2025 | |
| #3 | Solomon Islands | 84.3% | 2025 | |
| #2 | Madagascar | 85.5% | 2025 | |
| #1 | Qatar | 87.0% | 2025 | |
| — | American Samoa | — | — | |
| — | Andorra | — | — | |
| — | Antigua and Barbuda | — | — | |
| — | Aruba | — | — | |
| — | Bermuda | — | — | |
| — | British Virgin Islands | — | — | |
| — | Cayman Islands | — | — | |
| — | Curaçao | — | — | |
| — | Dominica | — | — | |
| — | Faroe Islands | — | — | |
| — | Gibraltar | — | — | |
| — | Greenland | — | — | |
| — | Grenada | — | — | |
| — | Isle of Man | — | — | |
| — | Kiribati | — | — | |
| — | Kosovo | — | — | |
| — | Liechtenstein | — | — | |
| — | Marshall Islands | — | — | |
| — | Federated States of Micronesia | — | — | |
| — | Monaco | — | — | |
| — | Nauru | — | — | |
| — | Northern Mariana Islands | — | — | |
| — | Palau | — | — | |
| — | San Marino | — | — | |
| — | Seychelles | — | — | |
| — | Sint Maarten | — | — | |
| — | Saint Kitts and Nevis | — | — | |
| — | Saint-Martin | — | — | |
| — | Turks and Caicos Islands | — | — | |
| — | Tuvalu | — | — |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)