Countries by labor force participation rate, ages 15 and over

Qatar had the highest labor force participation rate, ages 15 and over of 186 countries in 2015, at 87.3%. São Tomé and Príncipe had the lowest, at 24%. The median was 61.5% and the figure for the World was 61.6%. Source: the World Bank.

Highest87.3Qatar

Lowest24São Tomé and Príncipe

Median61.5186 countries

World61.6History

Top 40 countries, 2015

%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Labor force participation rate, total, % of total population ages 15+, modeled ILO estimate (SL.TLF.CACT.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

Rank	Countries	2015 (%)	Change on 2014
1	Qatar	87.3	+0.5 pts
2	Madagascar	86	-0.1 pts
3	Solomon Islands	84.4	+0.1 pts
4	Tanzania	83.9	-0 pts
5	North Korea	82.1	0 pts
6	Nigeria	80.8	0 pts
7	Cambodia	79.6	-0.7 pts
8	Burundi	79.5	+0.6 pts
9	Eritrea	79.2	+0.1 pts
10	Mozambique	79.1	-0.7 pts
11	Burkina Faso	78.6	-0.2 pts
12	United Arab Emirates	78	+0.3 pts
13	Ethiopia	78	-1.6 pts
14	Vietnam	77.4	+0.1 pts
15	Liberia	77	-0 pts
16	Iceland	76.7	+0.7 pts
17	Angola	76.2	-0.3 pts
18	Peru	75.9	-1.2 pts
19	Uganda	75.6	-1.6 pts
20	Kenya	74.3	+0.1 pts
21	Bahamas	73.9	+0.1 pts
22	South Sudan	73.8	+0.1 pts
23	Benin	73.5	+0.4 pts
24	Central African Republic	73.4	+0.1 pts
25	Niger	73.3	-0.2 pts
26	Kuwait	72.3	+0.5 pts
27	Bahrain	71.4	+0.2 pts
28	Cameroon	71.2	-0.9 pts
29	Macao	70.8	-0.6 pts
30	Mali	70.6	-0.1 pts
31	Kazakhstan	70.4	-0.1 pts
32	Moldova	70.2	+1 pts
33	Singapore	69.5	+1 pts
34	Oman	69.4	+0.8 pts
35	Saint Lucia	69.3	0 pts
36	China	69.3	-0.4 pts
37	Thailand	69.3	-0.5 pts
38	Ghana	69.3	-1.2 pts
39	New Zealand	68.4	+0.1 pts
40	Switzerland	68.2	+0.2 pts
41	Republic of the Congo	68.1	+0.1 pts
42	Paraguay	67.9	-0 pts
43	Bolivia	67.5	-0.2 pts
44	Colombia	67	0 pts
45	Malawi	67	-1.7 pts
46	Côte d’Ivoire	66.9	-0.1 pts
47	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	66.9	+0.1 pts
48	Timor-Leste	66.9	-0.1 pts
49	Indonesia	66.6	-0 pts
50	Norway	66.6	0 pts
51	Netherlands	66.5	+0.3 pts
52	Georgia	66.2	-0.1 pts
53	Zimbabwe	66.1	-0 pts
54	Canada	65.9	-0.1 pts
55	Haiti	65.9	-0 pts
56	Brunei	65.7	-0.3 pts
57	Ecuador	65.7	+3 pts
58	Panama	65.7	-0 pts
59	Israel	65.6	-0.1 pts
60	Jamaica	65.5	+2.9 pts
61	Barbados	65.4	-0.9 pts
62	Democratic Republic of the Congo	65.3	-0.2 pts
63	Malaysia	65.2	+0.2 pts
64	Nicaragua	65.1	+0.1 pts
65	Australia	65.1	+0.3 pts
66	Uruguay	64.9	-0.9 pts
67	Myanmar	64.7	-0.1 pts
68	Brazil	64.3	+0.2 pts
69	Belarus	64.3	+0.1 pts
70	Cyprus	64.2	-0.5 pts
71	Honduras	64.1	-0.1 pts
72	Sweden	63.9	0 pts
73	Belize	63.9	+0.4 pts
74	Azerbaijan	63.5	+0.8 pts
75	Guinea-Bissau	63.2	-0.1 pts
76	Bhutan	63.1	+0.5 pts
77	Trinidad and Tobago	63	-0.9 pts
78	Costa Rica	62.8	-1.4 pts
79	Lesotho	62.8	-1.2 pts
80	Russia	62.7	-0.1 pts
81	New Caledonia	62.7	-1.2 pts
82	South Korea	62.6	+0.3 pts
83	Guam	62.4	-0 pts
84	United States	62.3	-0.2 pts
85	Chile	62.3	+0.1 pts
86	United Kingdom	62.3	+0.1 pts
87	Botswana	62.2	+0.3 pts
88	Dominican Republic	62	+2.5 pts
89	Estonia	61.8	+0.7 pts
90	Ireland	61.8	+0.1 pts
91	Venezuela	61.7	-0.5 pts
92	Chad	61.6	-0.5 pts
93	Armenia	61.5	0 pts
94	Denmark	61.4	+0.1 pts
95	Philippines	61.4	-0.8 pts
96	Vanuatu	61.2	-0.6 pts
97	Equatorial Guinea	61	+0.3 pts
98	Rwanda	60.6	-0.1 pts
99	Namibia	60.6	-0.2 pts
100	Guatemala	60.6	-0.1 pts
101	Mexico	60.6	+0.1 pts
102	Hong Kong	60.5	+0.1 pts
103	Mauritius	60.3	+0.4 pts
104	Austria	60.2	+0.1 pts
105	Germany	60.2	-0.2 pts
106	Latvia	60	+0.8 pts
107	Laos	60	-0.1 pts
108	Luxembourg	59.9	+0.9 pts
109	Saudi Arabia	59.7	+1.3 pts
110	Mongolia	59.7	0 pts
111	Slovakia	59.6	-0.2 pts
112	Kyrgyzstan	59.5	+0.3 pts
113	Japan	59.5	+0.1 pts
114	Czechia	59.4	+0.1 pts
115	Argentina	59.2	-0.2 pts
116	Cape Verde	59.2	0 pts
117	Lithuania	59.2	+0.2 pts
118	Finland	58.8	0 pts
118	Zambia	58.8	-0.1 pts
120	El Salvador	58.7	-0.7 pts
121	U.S. Virgin Islands	58.7	+2.4 pts
122	Spain	58.6	-0.1 pts
123	Portugal	58.6	-0.2 pts
124	Fiji	58.2	-0.7 pts
125	Togo	58.1	-0 pts
126	Slovenia	57.6	-0.3 pts
127	Poland	57.1	0 pts
128	Bangladesh	56.5	-0.4 pts
129	Ukraine	56.3	0 pts
130	Uzbekistan	56.3	+0.2 pts
131	Maldives	56.2	+0.7 pts
132	Hungary	56.2	+1.2 pts
133	Sierra Leone	56.2	-0.8 pts
134	French Polynesia	56	-0.1 pts
135	Guyana	55.8	-0.1 pts
136	Guinea	55.7	-0.7 pts
137	Malta	55.6	+0.5 pts
138	France	55.6	-0.1 pts
139	Suriname	55.6	+0.6 pts
140	Cuba	55.6	+0.2 pts
141	Albania	55.5	+2.1 pts
142	Tonga	55	-0.3 pts
143	Samoa	54.7	-0.1 pts
144	South Africa	54.6	+1.3 pts
145	Bulgaria	54.2	+0.2 pts
146	North Macedonia	54	-0.6 pts
147	Sri Lanka	53.7	+2.1 pts
148	Belgium	53.4	-0.2 pts
149	India	53	-0.2 pts
150	Croatia	52.6	+0.4 pts
151	Montenegro	52.4	+0.7 pts
152	Pakistan	52	+1 pts
153	Türkiye	51.3	+0.8 pts
154	Eswatini	51.3	-0.1 pts
155	Romania	51.2	+0.7 pts
156	Serbia	51.2	-0.4 pts
157	Greece	51.2	-0 pts
158	Gabon	50.5	+0.3 pts
159	Bosnia and Herzegovina	49.9	-0.2 pts
160	Papua New Guinea	49.8	+0.3 pts
161	Libya	49.4	0 pts
162	Italy	48.6	-0.1 pts
163	Gambia	47.8	-0 pts
164	Tunisia	47.5	-0.1 pts
165	Morocco	47.5	-0.6 pts
166	Afghanistan	47.2	+0.1 pts
167	Lebanon	47.1	+0.5 pts
168	Egypt	47	-1.1 pts
169	Comoros	46.1	+1.6 pts
170	Senegal	45.5	-0.5 pts
171	Sudan	44.6	-1.1 pts
172	Palestine	44	+1.8 pts
173	Turkmenistan	43.5	-0.2 pts
174	Iraq	43	+0.1 pts
175	Algeria	42.5	-0.1 pts
176	Mauritania	42.1	-0.5 pts
177	Iran	41.9	+1.1 pts
178	Nepal	40.2	-0.1 pts
179	Tajikistan	40.1	-0.4 pts
180	Puerto Rico	38	-0.3 pts
181	Syria	37.7	-0 pts
182	Jordan	37.7	+1.3 pts
183	Somalia	34.2	-0 pts
184	Djibouti	32.6	-0.1 pts
185	Yemen	32.1	-4.9 pts
186	São Tomé and Príncipe	24	-0 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

The labor force, comprising employed and unemployed people, as a percentage of the population aged 15 and over. ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, annual.

A separate series from labor_force_participation_rate, which is the US civilian series for ages 16 and over from the Current Population Survey. This one covers ages 15 and over for countries and the World.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Labor force participation rate, total, % of total population ages 15+, modeled ILO estimate (SL.TLF.CACT.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

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Rank Countries by labor force participation rate, ages 15 and over using official data, and cite the source.

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Questions

Which country has the highest labor force participation rate, ages 15 and over?

Qatar, with 87.3% in 2015, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest labor force participation rate, ages 15 and over?

São Tomé and Príncipe, with 24% in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, Labor force participation rate, total, % of total population ages 15+, modeled ILO estimate (SL.TLF.CACT.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Labor force participation rate, ages 15 and over: other rankings

EU countries