Labor force, total in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income): Labor force, total was 1.15 billion in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, total in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force, total in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) stood at 1.15 billion. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) peaked at 1.15 billion in 2025 and was at its lowest, 844.58 million, in 1990.
That places East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 11th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force, total in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 844.58 million | — |
| 1991 | 855.66 million | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 867.68 million | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 877.98 million | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 891.13 million | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 903.50 million | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 916.43 million | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 929.28 million | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 942.95 million | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 954.73 million | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 967.10 million | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 981.57 million | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 994.64 million | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.01 billion | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 1.02 billion | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 1.04 billion | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 1.05 billion | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 1.06 billion | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 1.07 billion | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 1.08 billion | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 1.09 billion | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 1.10 billion | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 1.11 billion | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 1.11 billion | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 1.11 billion | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 1.12 billion | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 1.12 billion | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 1.12 billion | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 1.13 billion | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 1.13 billion | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 1.11 billion | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 1.13 billion | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 1.13 billion | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 1.14 billion | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 1.14 billion | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 1.15 billion | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 898.39 million | 844.58 million | 954.73 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.03 billion | 967.10 million | 1.08 billion | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.11 billion | 1.09 billion | 1.13 billion | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.14 billion | 1.11 billion | 1.15 billion | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- 8 Bangladesh 74.74 million compare
- 9 Russian Federation 72.77 million compare
- 10 Japan 69.48 million compare
- 11 Mexico 61.71 million compare
- 12 Viet Nam 57.04 million compare
- 13 Ethiopia 56.78 million compare
- 14 Philippines 52.20 million compare
More education data for East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 10.13 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 18.2% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 69.1% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 100.0% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 10.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per capita 0.0047 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 100.0% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 99.9% (2024)
- Labor force, total, per capita 0.5343 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, total in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Labor force, total in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) was 1.15 billion in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, total recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 1.15 billion in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 844.58 million in 1990.
- How does East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) rank for labor force, total?
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 11th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.