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 2017, at 87.5%. São Tomé and Príncipe had the lowest, at 23.9%. The median was 60.7% and the figure for the World was 61.3%. Source: the World Bank.

Highest87.5Qatar

Lowest23.9São Tomé and Príncipe

Median60.7186 countries

World61.3History

Top 40 countries, 2017

%. 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	2017 (%)	Change on 2016
1	Qatar	87.5	0 pts
2	Madagascar	85.6	-0.2 pts
3	Solomon Islands	84.3	-0 pts
4	Tanzania	83.9	-0 pts
5	North Korea	82.1	+0.1 pts
6	Cambodia	81.4	-0.3 pts
7	Nigeria	80.9	0 pts
8	Burundi	80.1	+0.2 pts
9	Eritrea	79	-0.1 pts
10	Mozambique	79	-0 pts
11	United Arab Emirates	78.8	+0.3 pts
12	Burkina Faso	78.1	-0.2 pts
13	Vietnam	77.2	+0.2 pts
14	Peru	77	+1.6 pts
15	Liberia	76.9	-0 pts
16	Iceland	76.9	-0.5 pts
17	Angola	75.6	-0.3 pts
18	Ethiopia	74.8	-1.6 pts
19	Benin	74.3	+0.4 pts
20	South Sudan	74.3	+0.3 pts
21	Bahamas	74.2	+0.1 pts
22	Central African Republic	73.4	0 pts
23	Kuwait	73.4	+0.7 pts
24	Niger	72.9	-0.2 pts
25	Bahrain	72.4	+0.4 pts
26	Kenya	72.3	-2.1 pts
27	Uganda	71.8	-2 pts
28	Paraguay	71	+1.1 pts
29	Oman	70.7	+0.4 pts
30	New Zealand	70.5	+0.9 pts
31	Kazakhstan	70.2	-0.1 pts
32	Macao	69.9	-0.2 pts
33	Saint Lucia	69.4	0 pts
34	Cameroon	69.3	-0.9 pts
35	Mali	69.2	-0.7 pts
36	Singapore	68.9	-0.3 pts
37	Bolivia	68.6	+1.3 pts
38	Switzerland	68.5	-0.1 pts
39	China	68.4	-0.5 pts
40	Moldova	68.3	-1.6 pts
41	Republic of the Congo	68.2	0 pts
42	Ecuador	68.2	+0.5 pts
43	Thailand	67.5	-0.8 pts
44	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	67.1	+0.1 pts
45	Timor-Leste	67.1	+0.2 pts
46	Ghana	66.9	-1.2 pts
47	Indonesia	66.7	+0.4 pts
48	Barbados	66.2	+0.1 pts
49	Netherlands	66.1	-0.2 pts
50	Côte d’Ivoire	66.1	-0.7 pts
51	Colombia	66	-0.4 pts
52	Zimbabwe	66	-0.1 pts
53	Haiti	65.9	0 pts
54	Panama	65.9	-0.3 pts
55	Georgia	65.8	-0.2 pts
56	Canada	65.8	+0.2 pts
57	Jamaica	65.7	+0.8 pts
58	Norway	65.7	-0.5 pts
59	Israel	65.5	-0.1 pts
60	Nicaragua	65.3	+0.1 pts
61	Australia	65.2	+0.3 pts
62	Malaysia	65.2	+0.1 pts
63	Brunei	65.2	-0.2 pts
64	Azerbaijan	65	+0.4 pts
65	Democratic Republic of the Congo	64.8	-0.3 pts
66	Brazil	64.5	+0.2 pts
67	Belarus	64.5	+0.1 pts
68	Sweden	64.4	+0.3 pts
69	Cyprus	64.4	+0.6 pts
70	Honduras	64.4	+1 pts
71	Uruguay	64.1	-0.5 pts
72	Belize	64	-0.2 pts
73	Malawi	63.5	-1.8 pts
74	Estonia	63.2	+0.6 pts
75	Guinea-Bissau	63	-0.1 pts
76	Chile	63	+0.6 pts
77	South Korea	62.9	+0.3 pts
78	Bhutan	62.8	-0.2 pts
79	Botswana	62.8	+0.3 pts
80	United States	62.5	+0.1 pts
81	Russia	62.5	-0.4 pts
82	United Kingdom	62.4	0 pts
83	Dominican Republic	62.4	-0.1 pts
84	Guam	62.4	-0 pts
85	Myanmar	62	-1.4 pts
86	Ireland	61.9	-0.2 pts
87	Denmark	61.8	+0.1 pts
88	Trinidad and Tobago	61.6	-0.5 pts
89	Armenia	61.5	-0.2 pts
90	Equatorial Guinea	61.3	+0.1 pts
91	Guatemala	60.9	+0.3 pts
92	Latvia	60.8	+0.4 pts
93	Austria	60.7	-0 pts
94	Germany	60.7	+0.2 pts
95	Lithuania	60.6	+0.3 pts
96	Chad	60.5	-0.5 pts
97	Hong Kong	60.5	+0.1 pts
98	Rwanda	60.5	-0.1 pts
99	Japan	60.4	+0.5 pts
100	Lesotho	60.2	-1.3 pts
101	Mexico	60.2	-0.2 pts
102	New Caledonia	60.2	-1.2 pts
103	Czechia	60.1	+0.3 pts
104	Vanuatu	59.9	-0.7 pts
105	Venezuela	59.9	-1.3 pts
106	Slovakia	59.9	-0.1 pts
107	Mauritius	59.9	+0.2 pts
108	Costa Rica	59.8	+0.2 pts
109	Laos	59.8	-0.1 pts
110	Namibia	59.7	-0.8 pts
111	Maldives	59.2	+2.3 pts
112	Cape Verde	59.2	0 pts
113	Philippines	59.1	-2.4 pts
114	Mongolia	59.1	+0.7 pts
115	U.S. Virgin Islands	59.1	+0.8 pts
116	El Salvador	59	-0.3 pts
117	Saudi Arabia	59	-1.7 pts
118	Portugal	58.9	+0.5 pts
119	Argentina	58.8	-0.2 pts
120	Luxembourg	58.7	-0.4 pts
121	Finland	58.7	+0.1 pts
122	Zambia	58.6	-0.1 pts
123	Slovenia	58.6	+1.7 pts
124	Bangladesh	58.3	+2.2 pts
125	Togo	58.1	-0 pts
126	Albania	58.1	+0.7 pts
127	Spain	58	-0.3 pts
128	Hungary	57.8	+0.5 pts
129	Malta	57.7	+1.1 pts
130	Poland	57.6	+0.3 pts
131	Fiji	57.5	-0.1 pts
132	Kyrgyzstan	56.9	-2.3 pts
133	Uzbekistan	56.5	0 pts
134	Ukraine	56.3	0 pts
135	Suriname	56.1	0 pts
136	French Polynesia	55.8	-0.1 pts
137	Guyana	55.6	-0.1 pts
138	Cuba	55.6	-0 pts
139	Bulgaria	55.4	+2.1 pts
140	South Africa	55.4	+0.6 pts
141	France	55.3	-0.1 pts
142	Sierra Leone	54.7	-0.8 pts
143	Samoa	54.4	-0.1 pts
144	Tonga	54.3	-0.3 pts
145	Guinea	54.3	-0.7 pts
146	Sri Lanka	54	+0.3 pts
147	Serbia	53.6	+0.6 pts
148	Belgium	53.3	+0.2 pts
149	North Macedonia	53.2	-0.3 pts
150	Türkiye	52.8	+0.8 pts
151	India	52.7	-0.2 pts
152	Montenegro	52.6	-0.1 pts
153	Romania	51.8	+0.9 pts
154	Croatia	51.4	+0.2 pts
155	Pakistan	51.3	-0.3 pts
156	Gabon	51	+0.3 pts
157	Greece	51	-0.1 pts
158	Eswatini	50.8	-0.3 pts
159	Papua New Guinea	50.4	+0.3 pts
160	Italy	49.5	+0.3 pts
161	Bosnia and Herzegovina	49.4	-0.2 pts
162	Libya	49.3	-0 pts
163	Comoros	49.3	+1.6 pts
164	Lebanon	48	+0.5 pts
165	Gambia	47.8	-0 pts
166	Tunisia	47.5	-0.2 pts
167	Afghanistan	47.3	+0.1 pts
168	Senegal	46	-4.1 pts
169	Morocco	45.5	-1 pts
170	Egypt	45	-1.7 pts
171	Iran	44.2	+1.1 pts
172	Palestine	44	+0.2 pts
173	Turkmenistan	43.1	-0.2 pts
174	Sudan	42.4	-1.1 pts
175	Algeria	42.3	-0 pts
176	Iraq	41.9	-1.3 pts
177	Mauritania	41.1	-0.5 pts
178	Jordan	40.2	+1.3 pts
179	Nepal	39.9	-0.2 pts
180	Tajikistan	38.9	-0.8 pts
181	Puerto Rico	38.2	+0.1 pts
182	Syria	37.7	0 pts
183	Somalia	34.1	-0 pts
184	Yemen	32.5	+0.2 pts
185	Djibouti	32.3	-0.2 pts
186	São Tomé and Príncipe	23.9	-0.1 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 87.5% in 2017, according to the World Bank.

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

São Tomé and Príncipe, with 23.9% in 2017.

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