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Countries Ranked by Labour force participation rate in 2020

Labour force participation rate for each country in 2020, ranked from highest to lowest. Source: The World Bank (CC BY 4.0).

Summary

In 2020, Qatar ranks #1 with 87.1% of population 15+. Madagascar is second with 84.6% of population 15+, 3% behind. The top five are Qatar, Madagascar, Solomon Islands, Tanzania and Cambodia. The median across all 187 is 60.2% of population 15+; São Tomé and Principe is last at 23.1% of population 15+.

#1
Qatar · 87.1% of population 15+
Median
60.2% of population 15+
Coverage
187 countries
Data year
2020
Last updated
2026-11-14
Top 10: Labour force participation rateBar chart of the top 10: 1. Qatar 87.1; 2. Madagascar 84.6; 3. Solomon Islands 83.5; 4. Tanzania 82.8; 5. Cambodia 82.2; 6. Korea, Dem. People's Rep. 80.6; 7. Nigeria 79.3; 8. United Arab Emirates 78.8; 9. Burundi 78.5; 10. Mozambique 78.1.Qatar87.1Madagascar84.6Solomon Islands83.5Tanzania82.8Cambodia82.2Korea, Dem. People's Re…80.6Nigeria79.3United Arab Emirates78.8Burundi78.5Mozambique78.1
Top 10: Labour force participation rate (% of population 15+). Bar chart of the top 10: 1. Qatar 87.1; 2. Madagascar 84.6; 3. Solomon Islands 83.5; 4. Tanzania 82.8; 5. Cambodia 82.2; 6. Korea, Dem. People's Rep. 80.6; 7. Nigeria 79.3; 8. United Arab Emirates 78.8; 9. Burundi 78.5; 10. Mozambique 78.1.
Labour force participation rate over time, top 5Qatar: 83.8 in 1996 to 87.1 in 2020; Madagascar: 86.1 in 1996 to 84.6 in 2020; Solomon Islands: 82.7 in 1996 to 83.5 in 2020; Tanzania: 86.5 in 1996 to 82.8 in 2020; Cambodia: 80.5 in 1996 to 82.2 in 2020.022.144.266.388.3199620082020QatarMadagascarSolomon IslandsTanzaniaCambodia
Labour force participation rate over time, top 5 (% of population 15+). Qatar: 83.8 in 1996 to 87.1 in 2020; Madagascar: 86.1 in 1996 to 84.6 in 2020; Solomon Islands: 82.7 in 1996 to 83.5 in 2020; Tanzania: 86.5 in 1996 to 82.8 in 2020; Cambodia: 80.5 in 1996 to 82.2 in 2020.

Full ranking

Countries Ranked by Labour force participation rate in 2020, 2020
RankCountryLabour force participation rate (% of population 15+)
1Qatar87.1
2Madagascar84.6
3Solomon Islands83.5
4Tanzania82.8
5Cambodia82.2
6Korea, Dem. People's Rep.80.6
7Nigeria79.3
8United Arab Emirates78.8
9Burundi78.5
10Mozambique78.1
11Uganda78
12Eritrea77.5
13Liberia76.1
14Burkina Faso75.2
15Benin74.8
16Viet Nam74.4
17Niger74.1
18Iceland73.6
19Angola73.3
20South Sudan73.2
21Central African Republic72.7
22Bolivia72.3
23Paraguay70.1
24New Zealand69.9
25Moldova69.7
26Ethiopia69.4
27Bahrain69.2
28Kazakhstan69.2
29Kuwait69.2
30Peru68.9
31Singapore68.7
32Macao SAR, China68.7
33Malawi68.3
34Bahamas, The68.1
35Switzerland68
36Bhutan67.8
37Indonesia67.4
38Azerbaijan67.2
39Kenya67.1
40Thailand67
41Netherlands66.5
42St. Vincent and the Grenadines66.5
43Panama66.4
44Oman66
45Timor-Leste65.9
46Cameroon65.9
47Mali65.9
48Cyprus65.7
49China65.7
50Norway65.7
51Malaysia65.5
52Haiti65.2
53Australia65
54Congo, Rep.64.9
55Côte d'Ivoire64.9
56Jamaica64.8
57Zimbabwe64.7
58Nicaragua64.4
59Sweden64.2
60Canada64.1
61Belarus64
62Brunei Darussalam64
63Congo, Dem. Rep.63.4
64Mongolia63.4
65Colombia63.4
66Israel63.4
67Georgia63.4
68Barbados63.1
69Estonia63
70Lao PDR62.9
71Rwanda62.7
72Lithuania62.7
73United Kingdom62.6
74Guinea-Bissau62.5
75Saudi Arabia62.4
76Korea, Rep.62.3
77Denmark62.1
78Japan61.9
79Ghana61.6
80Latvia61.6
81United States61.6
82Malta61.5
83Russian Federation61.4
84Botswana61.3
85Armenia61.3
86Uruguay61.1
87Ireland61.1
88Zambia60.9
89Costa Rica60.6
90Brazil60.5
91Germany60.5
92Dominican Republic60.4
93Austria60.4
94Myanmar60.2
95Luxembourg60.1
96Ecuador60
97Bangladesh59.8
98Honduras59.5
99Czechia59.5
100Chad59.4

Showing the top 100 of 187. Premium downloads the full list as CSV or JSON.

About the top 10

#6 Korea, Dem. People's Rep.

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. ranks #6 on this list with 80.6% of population 15+.

Capital
Pyongyang
Continent
Asia
Income group
Low income
Population
26.57 million people (2025)
Life expectancy
73.7 years (2024)
Urban population
64.2% of population (2025)
CO2 emissions per person
2.5 t CO2e per person (2024)
Currency
North Korean won

Largest cities: Pyongyang.

Also ranks #2 in hospital beds per 10,000 · #3 in armed forces personnel · #6 in female labour force participation.

Full country profile

Profile facts: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0); weather links go to Purr Weather, another ChowChow Labs site.

Related rankings

Source and method

Labour force participation rate for each country in 2020, ranked from highest to lowest.

Source: The World Bank, indicator SL.TLF.CACT.ZS. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Retrieved: 2026-11-14.

The World Bank: Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate): ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO) (via World Development Indicators)

Original data provider, as recorded by the World Bank: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).

Values are shown as published. Provider terms: The World Bank. All licences: Sources & licences.