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Countries Ranked by Labour force participation rate in 2023

Labour force participation rate for each country in 2023, ranked from highest to lowest. Source: The World Bank (CC BY 4.0).

Summary

In 2023, Qatar ranks #1 with 87.6% of population 15+. Madagascar is second with 85.5% of population 15+, 2.4% behind. The top five are Qatar, Madagascar, Solomon Islands, Tanzania and Nigeria. The median across all 184 is 61.8% of population 15+; São Tomé and Principe is last at 23.4% of population 15+.

#1
Qatar · 87.6% of population 15+
Median
61.8% of population 15+
Coverage
184 countries
Data year
2023
Last updated
2026-11-14
Top 10: Labour force participation rateBar chart of the top 10: 1. Qatar 87.6; 2. Madagascar 85.5; 3. Solomon Islands 84.3; 4. Tanzania 83.8; 5. Nigeria 82.6; 6. Cambodia 82.3; 7. Korea, Dem. People's Rep. 82.2; 8. Uganda 80; 9. Niger 79.6; 10. Mozambique 78.8.Qatar87.6Madagascar85.5Solomon Islands84.3Tanzania83.8Nigeria82.6Cambodia82.3Korea, Dem. People's Re…82.2Uganda80Niger79.6Mozambique78.8
Top 10: Labour force participation rate (% of population 15+). Bar chart of the top 10: 1. Qatar 87.6; 2. Madagascar 85.5; 3. Solomon Islands 84.3; 4. Tanzania 83.8; 5. Nigeria 82.6; 6. Cambodia 82.3; 7. Korea, Dem. People's Rep. 82.2; 8. Uganda 80; 9. Niger 79.6; 10. Mozambique 78.8.
Labour force participation rate over time, top 5Qatar: 82.7 in 1999 to 87.6 in 2023; Madagascar: 86.3 in 1999 to 85.5 in 2023; Solomon Islands: 83.2 in 1999 to 84.3 in 2023; Tanzania: 86.5 in 1999 to 83.8 in 2023; Nigeria: 83.6 in 1999 to 82.6 in 2023.022.144.266.388.3199920112023QatarMadagascarSolomon IslandsTanzaniaNigeria
Labour force participation rate over time, top 5 (% of population 15+). Qatar: 82.7 in 1999 to 87.6 in 2023; Madagascar: 86.3 in 1999 to 85.5 in 2023; Solomon Islands: 83.2 in 1999 to 84.3 in 2023; Tanzania: 86.5 in 1999 to 83.8 in 2023; Nigeria: 83.6 in 1999 to 82.6 in 2023.

Full ranking

Countries Ranked by Labour force participation rate in 2023, 2023
RankCountryLabour force participation rate (% of population 15+)
1Qatar87.6
2Madagascar85.5
3Solomon Islands84.3
4Tanzania83.8
5Nigeria82.6
6Cambodia82.3
7Korea, Dem. People's Rep.82.2
8Uganda80
9Niger79.6
10Mozambique78.8
11Burundi78.8
12Bolivia78.4
13United Arab Emirates78.4
14Eritrea78.3
15Liberia76.6
16Benin76.3
17Angola74.9
18Iceland74.7
19Bahamas, The74.1
20Kuwait74
21Viet Nam73.5
22Central African Republic73.4
23South Sudan73.4
24Peru72.7
25New Zealand71.5
26Burkina Faso71.2
27Moldova70.8
28Paraguay70.8
29Bahrain70.7
30Kazakhstan70.4
31Jamaica69.5
32Singapore69.4
33St. Lucia68.6
34Ethiopia68.5
35Oman68.3
36Botswana68.3
37Macao SAR, China68
38Cyprus67.9
39Indonesia67.9
40Congo, Rep.67.9
41St. Vincent and the Grenadines67.9
42Thailand67.8
43Zimbabwe67.8
44Netherlands67.7
45Kenya67.5
46Switzerland67.5
47Mali67.2
48Côte d'Ivoire67.1
49Australia67
50Timor-Leste66.6
51Ireland66.2
52Malaysia66.2
53Lao PDR66
54Norway65.9
55Nicaragua65.9
56China65.8
57Estonia65.6
58Cameroon65.6
59Canada65.4
60Saudi Arabia65.3
61Panama65.1
62Israel65.1
63Barbados65
64Bhutan65
65Sweden64.9
66Guinea-Bissau64.8
67Brunei Darussalam64.7
68Uruguay64.6
69Ecuador64.5
70Haiti64.5
71Congo, Dem. Rep.64.4
72Azerbaijan64.3
73Malta64.3
74Dominican Republic64.3
75Korea, Rep.64.3
76Georgia64
77Albania63.9
78Denmark63.8
79Colombia63.7
80Rwanda63.7
81Belarus63.6
82Maldives63.3
83Malawi63
84Brazil62.9
85Japan62.9
86Lithuania62.9
87Argentina62.3
88Guam62.2
89Russian Federation62.1
90United States62.1
91Zambia62
92United Kingdom61.8
93Mexico61.7
94El Salvador61.6
95Luxembourg61.5
96Chile61.5
97Philippines61.4
98Slovak Republic61.2
99Equatorial Guinea61.1
100Germany61.1

Showing the top 100 of 184. Premium downloads the full list as CSV or JSON.

About the top 10

#7 Korea, Dem. People's Rep.

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. ranks #7 on this list with 82.2% 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 2023, 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.