Labor force, total in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Labor force, total was 1.28 billion in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, total in East Asia & Pacific, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force, total in East Asia & Pacific stood at 1.28 billion. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 1.28 billion in 2025 and was at its lowest, 951.28 million, in 1990.
That places East Asia & Pacific 8th out of 48 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.01 billion | 951.28 million | 1.07 billion | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.15 billion | 1.09 billion | 1.20 billion | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.24 billion | 1.21 billion | 1.27 billion | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.27 billion | 1.25 billion | 1.28 billion | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
More education data for East Asia & Pacific
- Population ages 0-14 17.6% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 68.5% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 100.0% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 10.94 million (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 100.1% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 100.0% (2024)
- Labor force, female 44.6% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 0.997 GPI (2020)
- School enrollment, secondary 92.0% (2024)
- Probability of dying among adolescents ages 15-19 years 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, total in East Asia & Pacific?
- Labor force, total in East Asia & Pacific was 1.28 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?
- The highest recorded value was 1.28 billion in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 951.28 million in 1990.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for labor force, total?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 8th out of 48 groups with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific 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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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.