Labor force, total in Germany

Germany: Labor force, total was 43.55 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
43.55 million
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
15th
of 186 countries
All-time high
43.98 million
in 2019
All-time low
38.77 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Labor force, total in Germany, 1990–2025

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M1990200720251990: 38.8M1991: 39.9M1992: 39.9M1993: 39.8M1994: 40.0M1995: 39.8M1996: 39.8M1997: 40.1M1998: 40.1M1999: 40.3M2000: 40.2M2001: 40.3M2002: 40.4M2003: 40.6M2004: 40.4M2005: 41.1M2006: 41.7M2007: 41.8M2008: 41.8M2009: 41.8M2010: 41.9M2011: 41.5M2012: 41.8M2013: 42.2M2014: 42.5M2015: 42.7M2016: 43.1M2017: 43.4M2018: 43.6M2019: 44.0M2020: 43.4M2021: 43.3M2022: 43.6M2023: 43.8M2024: 43.8M2025: 43.5M

Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.

Analysis

Germany recorded 43.55 million for labor force, total in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force, total in Germany peaked at 43.98 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 38.77 million, in 1990.

That places Germany 15th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 39.85 million 38.77 million 40.34 million 10
2000s 41.01 million 40.21 million 41.82 million 10
2010s 42.66 million 41.52 million 43.98 million 10
2020s 43.56 million 43.28 million 43.80 million 6

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 12 Vietnam 57.04 million compare
  2. 13 Ethiopia 56.78 million compare
  3. 14 Philippines 52.20 million compare
  4. 16 Thailand 40.87 million compare
  5. 17 Democratic Republic of Congo 39.22 million compare
  6. 18 Turkey 36.88 million compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More education data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force, total in Germany?
Labor force, total in Germany was 43.55 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 43.98 million in 2019.
What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 38.77 million in 1990.
How does Germany rank for labor force, total?
Germany ranks 15th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is labor force, total rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Germany 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Labor force, total
Source
International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 8,410 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

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.