Labor force, total by country
Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid...
Countries reporting
187
Highest
768.07 million
China
Lowest
33,628
Tonga
Median
4.34 million
Years covered
36
1990–2025
Data points
8,446
What the numbers show
Labor force, total is currently reported for 187 countries. The highest value is 768.07 million in China; the lowest is 33,628 in Tonga.
The median across all reporting countries is 4.34 million, and the mean is 20.13 million.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 22,840.
Over the past decade 162 countries rose and 25 fell. The largest increase was in Niger (up 61.1%), and the largest decrease in Venezuela (down 17.9%).
Labor force, total: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 768.07 million | 2025 | down 1.7% | rising |
| 2 | India | 617.62 million | 2025 | up 23.4% | rising |
| 3 | United States | 174.83 million | 2025 | up 8.0% | rising |
| 4 | Indonesia | 147.10 million | 2025 | up 15.6% | rising |
| 5 | Nigeria | 116.58 million | 2025 | up 35.9% | rising |
| 6 | Brazil | 108.32 million | 2025 | up 7.7% | rising |
| 7 | Pakistan | 85.16 million | 2025 | up 23.0% | rising |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 74.74 million | 2025 | up 20.7% | rising |
| 9 | Russia | 72.77 million | 2025 | down 3.5% | flat |
| 10 | Japan | 69.48 million | 2025 | up 5.4% | flat |
| 11 | Mexico | 61.71 million | 2025 | up 16.9% | rising |
| 12 | Vietnam | 57.04 million | 2025 | up 4.4% | rising |
| 13 | Ethiopia | 56.78 million | 2025 | up 22.7% | rising |
| 14 | Philippines | 52.20 million | 2025 | up 21.5% | rising |
| 15 | Germany | 43.55 million | 2025 | up 2.0% | rising |
| 16 | Thailand | 40.87 million | 2025 | up 2.1% | rising |
| 17 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 39.22 million | 2025 | up 37.2% | rising |
| 18 | Turkey | 36.88 million | 2025 | up 20.7% | rising |
| 19 | Egypt | 36.11 million | 2025 | up 17.0% | rising |
| 20 | United Kingdom | 35.41 million | 2025 | up 6.4% | rising |
| 21 | Tanzania | 34.05 million | 2025 | up 40.6% | rising |
| 22 | France | 31.86 million | 2025 | up 5.3% | rising |
| 23 | South Korea | 29.87 million | 2025 | up 8.5% | rising |
| 24 | Iran | 29.52 million | 2025 | up 11.5% | rising |
| 25 | Colombia | 27.10 million | 2025 | up 14.0% | rising |
| 26 | South Africa | 26.73 million | 2025 | up 20.4% | rising |
| 27 | Italy | 25.66 million | 2025 | up 1.5% | rising |
| 28 | Spain | 24.76 million | 2025 | up 7.0% | rising |
| 29 | Kenya | 24.71 million | 2025 | up 21.8% | rising |
| 30 | Uganda | 23.39 million | 2025 | up 58.8% | rising |
| 31 | Myanmar | 22.94 million | 2025 | down 5.6% | rising |
| 32 | Canada | 22.85 million | 2025 | up 15.9% | rising |
| 33 | Argentina | 22.42 million | 2025 | up 15.9% | rising |
| 34 | Ukraine | 20.54 million | 2021 | down 8.1% | falling |
| 35 | Peru | 19.24 million | 2025 | up 14.8% | rising |
| 36 | Malaysia | 18.72 million | 2025 | up 23.9% | rising |
| 37 | Saudi Arabia | 18.38 million | 2025 | up 37.7% | volatile |
| 38 | Poland | 18.17 million | 2025 | down 1.3% | rising |
| 39 | North Korea | 17.70 million | 2025 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 40 | Madagascar | 17.09 million | 2025 | up 34.6% | rising |
| 41 | Angola | 16.32 million | 2025 | up 39.0% | rising |
| 42 | Mozambique | 15.66 million | 2025 | up 37.4% | rising |
| 43 | Australia | 15.13 million | 2025 | up 20.3% | rising |
| 44 | Uzbekistan | 14.64 million | 2025 | up 18.0% | rising |
| 45 | Algeria | 13.56 million | 2025 | up 12.4% | rising |
| 46 | Ghana | 13.25 million | 2025 | up 8.6% | rising |
| 47 | Cote d'Ivoire | 13.07 million | 2025 | up 33.8% | rising |
| 48 | Morocco | 12.63 million | 2025 | up 6.9% | rising |
| 49 | Iraq | 12.49 million | 2025 | up 29.6% | rising |
| 50 | Niger | 11.97 million | 2025 | up 61.1% | rising |
| 51 | Cameroon | 11.47 million | 2025 | up 24.5% | rising |
| 52 | Venezuela | 11.12 million | 2025 | down 17.9% | rising |
| 53 | Sudan | 10.95 million | 2022 | up 11.8% | rising |
| 54 | Cambodia | 10.37 million | 2025 | up 22.5% | rising |
| 55 | Netherlands | 10.35 million | 2025 | up 10.2% | rising |
| 56 | Chile | 10.33 million | 2025 | up 14.8% | rising |
| 57 | Kazakhstan | 10.01 million | 2025 | up 8.7% | rising |
| 58 | Burkina Faso | 9.91 million | 2025 | up 23.2% | rising |
| 59 | Afghanistan | 9.43 million | 2025 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 60 | Mali | 9.16 million | 2025 | up 34.2% | rising |
| 61 | Ecuador | 8.98 million | 2025 | up 18.5% | rising |
| 62 | Nepal | 8.36 million | 2025 | up 11.6% | rising |
| 63 | Malawi | 8.32 million | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 64 | Sri Lanka | 8.26 million | 2025 | down 2.5% | rising |
| 65 | Romania | 8.24 million | 2025 | down 3.7% | falling |
| 66 | Yemen | 8.16 million | 2025 | up 40.3% | rising |
| 67 | Zambia | 8.01 million | 2025 | up 51.6% | rising |
| 68 | Guatemala | 7.68 million | 2025 | up 24.9% | rising |
| 69 | United Arab Emirates | 7.60 million | 2025 | up 37.8% | volatile |
| 70 | Bolivia | 6.98 million | 2025 | up 39.3% | rising |
| 71 | Zimbabwe | 6.85 million | 2025 | up 28.1% | rising |
| 72 | Syria | 6.76 million | 2025 | up 55.4% | rising |
| 73 | Chad | 6.75 million | 2025 | up 45.4% | rising |
| 74 | Benin | 6.64 million | 2025 | up 40.5% | rising |
| 75 | Burundi | 6.31 million | 2025 | up 35.6% | rising |
| 76 | Senegal | 6.13 million | 2025 | up 60.3% | rising |
| 77 | Rwanda | 5.84 million | 2025 | up 40.7% | rising |
| 78 | Sweden | 5.70 million | 2025 | up 10.1% | rising |
| 79 | Czechia | 5.58 million | 2025 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 80 | Dominican Republic | 5.51 million | 2025 | up 20.3% | rising |
| 81 | Portugal | 5.49 million | 2025 | up 5.5% | rising |
| 82 | Belgium | 5.46 million | 2025 | up 9.4% | rising |
| 83 | Haiti | 5.27 million | 2025 | up 15.7% | rising |
| 84 | Switzerland | 5.17 million | 2025 | up 7.4% | rising |
| 85 | Azerbaijan | 5.11 million | 2025 | up 8.9% | rising |
| 86 | South Sudan | 5.07 million | 2023 | up 6.2% | rising |
| 87 | Hungary | 4.94 million | 2025 | up 4.8% | rising |
| 88 | Cuba | 4.86 million | 2025 | down 6.9% | rising |
| 89 | Israel | 4.83 million | 2025 | up 22.5% | rising |
| 90 | Belarus | 4.80 million | 2025 | down 5.9% | rising |
| 91 | Austria | 4.75 million | 2025 | up 6.6% | rising |
| 92 | Guinea | 4.72 million | 2025 | up 27.1% | rising |
| 93 | Greece | 4.72 million | 2025 | down 0.5% | rising |
| 94 | Honduras | 4.34 million | 2025 | up 12.6% | rising |
| 95 | Tunisia | 4.27 million | 2025 | up 4.7% | rising |
| 96 | Hong Kong | 3.79 million | 2025 | down 2.8% | rising |
| 97 | Singapore | 3.76 million | 2025 | up 11.9% | rising |
| 98 | Papua New Guinea | 3.75 million | 2025 | up 34.9% | rising |
| 99 | Laos | 3.65 million | 2025 | up 33.9% | rising |
| 100 | Somalia | 3.56 million | 2025 | up 43.9% | rising |
| 101 | Paraguay | 3.53 million | 2025 | up 20.8% | rising |
| 102 | Serbia | 3.32 million | 2025 | up 6.7% | falling |
| 103 | Nicaragua | 3.32 million | 2025 | up 22.3% | rising |
| 104 | Denmark | 3.29 million | 2025 | up 13.6% | rising |
| 105 | Jordan | 3.22 million | 2025 | up 37.5% | rising |
| 106 | Norway | 3.09 million | 2025 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 107 | Bulgaria | 3.09 million | 2025 | down 5.2% | falling |
| 108 | New Zealand | 3.08 million | 2025 | up 21.8% | rising |
| 109 | El Salvador | 2.99 million | 2025 | up 15.3% | rising |
| 110 | Togo | 2.96 million | 2025 | up 24.4% | rising |
| 111 | Sierra Leone | 2.93 million | 2025 | up 27.6% | rising |
| 112 | Kuwait | 2.93 million | 2025 | up 35.0% | rising |
| 113 | Ireland | 2.91 million | 2025 | up 27.4% | rising |
| 114 | Finland | 2.89 million | 2025 | up 7.2% | rising |
| 115 | Kyrgyzstan | 2.87 million | 2025 | up 17.0% | rising |
| 116 | Oman | 2.84 million | 2025 | up 25.8% | volatile |
| 117 | Slovakia | 2.76 million | 2025 | up 0.9% | rising |
| 118 | Liberia | 2.67 million | 2025 | up 29.4% | rising |
| 119 | Tajikistan | 2.65 million | 2025 | up 19.9% | rising |
| 120 | Congo | 2.64 million | 2025 | up 31.0% | rising |
| 121 | Libya | 2.62 million | 2025 | up 17.6% | rising |
| 122 | Costa Rica | 2.43 million | 2025 | up 3.5% | rising |
| 123 | Panama | 2.29 million | 2025 | up 22.1% | rising |
| 124 | Turkmenistan | 2.20 million | 2025 | up 15.8% | rising |
| 125 | Qatar | 2.20 million | 2025 | up 24.8% | volatile |
| 126 | Central African Republic | 2.08 million | 2025 | up 19.8% | rising |
| 127 | Georgia | 2.01 million | 2025 | up 1.3% | falling |
| 128 | Lebanon | 1.84 million | 2023 | down 6.6% | rising |
| 129 | Uruguay | 1.81 million | 2025 | up 4.7% | rising |
| 130 | Eritrea | 1.76 million | 2025 | up 23.8% | rising |
| 131 | Croatia | 1.74 million | 2025 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 132 | Jamaica | 1.61 million | 2025 | up 14.7% | rising |
| 133 | Lithuania | 1.55 million | 2025 | up 5.7% | falling |
| 134 | Armenia | 1.49 million | 2025 | up 0.5% | falling |
| 135 | Mongolia | 1.46 million | 2025 | up 14.5% | rising |
| 136 | Palestine | 1.39 million | 2022 | up 42.3% | rising |
| 137 | Moldova | 1.37 million | 2025 | down 15.7% | rising |
| 138 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.34 million | 2025 | down 10.9% | falling |
| 139 | Albania | 1.26 million | 2025 | up 2.5% | falling |
| 140 | Mauritania | 1.25 million | 2025 | up 34.2% | rising |
| 141 | Puerto Rico | 1.21 million | 2025 | up 7.7% | falling |
| 142 | Botswana | 1.20 million | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 143 | Namibia | 1.15 million | 2025 | up 26.1% | rising |
| 144 | Slovenia | 1.05 million | 2025 | up 3.6% | rising |
| 145 | Latvia | 948,428 | 2025 | down 5.9% | falling |
| 146 | Bahrain | 919,501 | 2025 | up 18.3% | rising |
| 147 | Guinea-Bissau | 899,220 | 2025 | up 38.0% | rising |
| 148 | Lesotho | 889,530 | 2025 | up 6.2% | flat |
| 149 | Gabon | 844,145 | 2025 | up 29.2% | rising |
| 150 | Gambia | 807,275 | 2025 | up 34.4% | rising |
| 151 | North Macedonia | 789,369 | 2025 | down 6.7% | flat |
| 152 | Cyprus | 770,268 | 2025 | up 17.2% | rising |
| 153 | Estonia | 754,206 | 2025 | up 10.4% | flat |
| 154 | Equatorial Guinea | 737,977 | 2025 | up 34.9% | rising |
| 155 | Trinidad and Tobago | 651,715 | 2025 | down 4.7% | rising |
| 156 | East Timor | 635,489 | 2025 | up 29.5% | rising |
| 157 | Mauritius | 622,328 | 2025 | up 0.6% | rising |
| 158 | Solomon Islands | 448,502 | 2025 | up 38.4% | rising |
| 159 | Eswatini | 430,869 | 2025 | up 16.4% | rising |
| 160 | Bhutan | 411,263 | 2025 | up 20.4% | rising |
| 161 | Macao | 401,572 | 2025 | up 1.5% | rising |
| 162 | Fiji | 390,290 | 2025 | up 3.7% | rising |
| 163 | Luxembourg | 355,974 | 2025 | up 25.1% | rising |
| 164 | Guyana | 326,682 | 2025 | up 10.7% | rising |
| 165 | Malta | 323,052 | 2025 | up 52.4% | rising |
| 166 | Comoros | 310,841 | 2025 | up 54.2% | rising |
| 167 | Montenegro | 296,618 | 2025 | up 11.4% | rising |
| 168 | Maldives | 272,320 | 2025 | up 47.3% | rising |
| 169 | Djibouti | 267,610 | 2025 | up 22.0% | rising |
| 170 | Suriname | 257,128 | 2025 | up 11.6% | rising |
| 171 | Bahamas | 245,159 | 2025 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 172 | Iceland | 242,507 | 2025 | up 19.8% | rising |
| 173 | Brunei | 237,763 | 2025 | up 12.2% | rising |
| 174 | Cape Verde | 226,448 | 2025 | up 4.9% | rising |
| 175 | Belize | 184,286 | 2025 | up 18.8% | rising |
| 176 | Barbados | 151,620 | 2025 | up 2.8% | rising |
| 177 | New Caledonia | 131,488 | 2025 | down 2.3% | rising |
| 178 | Vanuatu | 120,833 | 2025 | up 20.7% | rising |
| 179 | French Polynesia | 120,628 | 2025 | up 2.3% | rising |
| 180 | Saint Lucia | 101,771 | 2025 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 181 | Channel Islands | 81,617 | 2025 | up 0.1% | rising |
| 182 | Guam | 78,007 | 2025 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 183 | Samoa | 57,776 | 2025 | down 15.5% | rising |
| 184 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 53,688 | 2025 | down 1.7% | rising |
| 185 | United States Virgin Islands | 47,132 | 2025 | down 7.3% | falling |
| 186 | Sao Tome and Principe | 35,075 | 2025 | up 25.6% | rising |
| 187 | Tonga | 33,628 | 2025 | down 9.0% | flat |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- World 3.74 billion
- Chagai 81,617
- IDA & IBRD total 3.10 billion
- Low & middle income 3.00 billion
- Middle income 2.74 billion
- IBRD only 2.34 billion
- Upper middle income 1.53 billion
- Early-demographic dividend 1.49 billion
- East Asia & Pacific 1.28 billion
- Late-demographic dividend 1.24 billion
- Lower middle income 1.20 billion
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 1.15 billion
- East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) 1.13 billion
- IDA total 757.58 million
- High income 733.62 million
- OECD members 709.91 million
- South Asia 709.68 million
- South Asia (IDA & IBRD) 709.68 million
- Post-demographic dividend 565.10 million
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 526.96 million
- Sub-Saharan Africa 526.96 million
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 526.96 million
- IDA only 476.44 million
- Least developed countries 450.68 million
- Pre-demographic dividend 434.67 million
- Europe & Central Asia 429.15 million
- Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) 359.33 million
- Latin America & Caribbean 325.05 million
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 318.69 million
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 305.57 million
- Africa Eastern and Southern 299.26 million
- IDA blend 281.15 million
- Low income 267.17 million
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 264.22 million
- Africa Western and Central 227.71 million
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 224.19 million
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 224.19 million
- European Union 221.68 million
- North America 197.68 million
- Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 195.06 million
About this data
Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.