Labor force, total in Philippines

Philippines: Labor force, total was 52.20 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
52.20 million
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
14th
of 186 countries
All-time high
52.20 million
in 2025
All-time low
22.44 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Labor force, total in Philippines, 1990–2025

020.0M40.0M60.0M1990200720251990: 22.4M1991: 23.0M1992: 23.7M1993: 24.3M1994: 24.9M1995: 25.5M1996: 26.2M1997: 26.9M1998: 27.8M1999: 28.8M2000: 29.7M2001: 30.5M2002: 31.3M2003: 32.1M2004: 33.1M2005: 34.0M2006: 34.7M2007: 35.4M2008: 36.1M2009: 37.1M2010: 38.1M2011: 39.6M2012: 40.3M2013: 41.1M2014: 42.5M2015: 43.0M2016: 44.1M2017: 43.3M2018: 44.0M2019: 45.3M2020: 42.5M2021: 44.7M2022: 49.5M2023: 50.4M2024: 51.3M2025: 52.2M

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for labor force, total in Philippines is 52.20 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 21.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force, total in Philippines peaked at 52.20 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 22.44 million, in 1990.

Philippines ranks 14th of 186 countries on this measure, 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 25.36 million 22.44 million 28.77 million 10
2000s 33.40 million 29.66 million 37.12 million 10
2010s 42.13 million 38.11 million 45.27 million 10
2020s 48.43 million 42.53 million 52.20 million 6

Countries ranked near Philippines

  1. 11 Mexico 61.71 million compare
  2. 12 Vietnam 57.04 million compare
  3. 13 Ethiopia 56.78 million compare
  4. 15 Germany 43.55 million compare
  5. 16 Thailand 40.87 million compare
  6. 17 Democratic Republic of Congo 39.22 million compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More education data for Philippines

All data for Philippines →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force, total in Philippines?
Labor force, total in Philippines was 52.20 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Philippines?
The highest recorded value was 52.20 million in 2025.
What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Philippines?
The lowest recorded value was 22.44 million in 1990.
How does Philippines rank for labor force, total?
Philippines ranks 14th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is labor force, total rising or falling in Philippines?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Philippines 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

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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.