Main Content

Field Listing :: Labor force
This entry contains the total labor force figure.

Country Comparison Ranking

By Country Listing of the values for the Labor force field
Country Labor force
Afghanistan
8.478 million (2017 est.)
Albania
1.104 million (2020 est.)
Algeria
10.859 million (2017 est.)
American Samoa
17,850 (2015 est.)
Andorra
39,750 (2016)
Angola
12.51 million (2017 est.)
Anguilla
6,049 (2001)
Antigua and Barbuda
30,000 (1991)
Argentina
18 million (2017 est.)

note: urban areas only

Armenia
1.507 million (2017 est.)
Aruba
51,610 (2007 est.)

note: of the 51,610 workers aged 15 and over in the labor force, 32,252 were born in Aruba and 19,353 came from abroad; foreign workers are 38% of the employed population

Australia
12.568 million (2020 est.)
Austria
3.739 million (2020 est.)
Azerbaijan
4.939 million (2019 est.)
Bahamas, The
196,900 (2013 est.)
Bahrain
831,600 (2017 est.)

note: excludes unemployed; 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national

Bangladesh
66.64 million (2017 est.)

note: extensive migration of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia

Barbados
144,000 (2017 est.)
Belarus
4.381 million (2016 est.)
Belgium
4.122 million (2020 est.)
Belize
120,500 (2008 est.)

note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel

Benin
3.662 million (2007 est.)
Bermuda
33,480 (2016 est.)
Bhutan
397,900 (2017 est.)

note: major shortage of skilled labor

Bolivia
5.719 million (2016 est.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
806,000 (2020 est.)
Botswana
1.177 million (2017 est.)
Brazil
86.621 million (2020 est.)
British Virgin Islands
12,770 (2004)
Brunei
203,600 (2014 est.)
Bulgaria
3.113 million (2020 est.)

note: number of employed persons

Burkina Faso
8.501 million (2016 est.)

note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment

Burma
22.3 million (2017 est.)
Burundi
5.012 million (2017 est.)
Cabo Verde
196,100 (2007 est.)
Cambodia
8.913 million (2017 est.)
Cameroon
9.912 million (2017 est.)
Canada
18.136 million (2020 est.)
Cayman Islands
39,000 (2007 est.)

note: nearly 55% are non-nationals

Central African Republic
2.242 million (2017 est.)
Chad
5.654 million (2017 est.)
Chile
7.249 million (2020 est.)
China
774.71 million (2019 est.)

note: by the end of 2012, China's working age population (15-64 years) was 1.004 billion

Christmas Island
NA
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
NA
Colombia
19.309 million (2020 est.)
Comoros
278,500 (2016 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
20.692 million (2012 est.)
Congo, Republic of the
2.055 million (2016 est.)
Cook Islands
6,820 (2001)
Costa Rica
1.843 million (2020 est.)

note: official estimate; excludes Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica

Cote d'Ivoire
8.747 million (2017 est.)
Croatia
1.656 million (2020 est.)
Cuba
4.691 million (2017 est.)

note: state sector 72.3%, non-state sector 27.7%

Curacao
73,010 (2013)
Cyprus
416,000 (2019 est.)
Czechia
5.222 million (2020 est.)
Denmark
2.736 million (2020 est.)
Djibouti
294,600 (2012)
Dominica
25,000 (2000 est.)
Dominican Republic
4.732 million (2017 est.)
Ecuador
8.086 million (2017 est.)
Egypt
24.113 million (2020 est.)
El Salvador
2.908 million (2019 est.)
Equatorial Guinea
195,200 (2007 est.)
Eritrea
2.71 million (2017 est.)
Estonia
648,000 (2020 est.)
Eswatini
427,900 (2016 est.)
Ethiopia
52.82 million (2017 est.)
European Union
238.9 million (2016 est.)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
1,850 (2016 est.)
Faroe Islands
27,540 (2017 est.)
Fiji
353,100 (2017 est.)
Finland
2.52 million (2020 est.)
France
27.742 million (2020 est.)
French Polynesia
126,300 (2016 est.)
Gabon
557,800 (2017 est.)
Gambia, The
777,100 (2007 est.)
Gaza Strip
1.24 million (2017 est.)

note: excludes the West Bank

Georgia
686,000 (2019 est.)
Germany
44.585 million (2020 est.)
Ghana
12.49 million (2017 est.)
Gibraltar
24,420 (2014 est.)
Greece
4 million (2020 est.)
Greenland
26,840 (2015 est.)
Grenada
55,270 (2017 est.)
Guam
73,210 (2016 est.)

note: includes only the civilian labor force

Guatemala
6.664 million (2017 est.)
Guernsey
31,470 (March 2006)
Guinea
5.558 million (2017 est.)
Guinea-Bissau
731,300 (2013 est.)
Guyana
313,800 (2013 est.)
Haiti
4.594 million (2014 est.)

note: shortage of skilled labor; unskilled labor abundant

Holy See (Vatican City)
4,822 (2016)
Honduras
3.735 million (2017 est.)
Hong Kong
3.627 million (2020 est.)
Hungary
4.414 million (2020 est.)
Iceland
200,000 (2020 est.)
India
521.9 million (2017 est.)
Indonesia
129.366 million (2019 est.)
Iran
30.5 million (2017 est.)

note: shortage of skilled labor

Iraq
8.9 million (2010 est.)
Ireland
2.289 million (2020 est.)
Isle of Man
41,790 (2006)
Israel
3.893 million (2020 est.)
Italy
22.92 million (2020 est.)
Jamaica
1.113 million (2020 est.)
Japan
66.54 million (2020 est.)
Jersey
59,950 (2017 est.)
Jordan
731,000 (2020 est.)
Kazakhstan
8.685 million (2020 est.)
Kenya
19.6 million (2017 est.)
Kiribati
39,000 (2010 est.)

note: economically active, not including subsistence farmers

Korea, North
14 million (2014 est.)

note: estimates vary widely

Korea, South
26.839 million (2020 est.)
Kosovo
500,300 (2017 est.)

note: includes those estimated to be employed in the gray economy

Kuwait
2.695 million (2017 est.)

note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 60% of the labor force

Kyrgyzstan
2.841 million (2017 est.)
Laos
3.582 million (2017 est.)
Latvia
885,000 (2020 est.)
Lebanon
2.166 million (2016 est.)

note: excludes as many as 1 million foreign workers and refugees

Lesotho
930,800 (2017 est.)
Liberia
1.677 million (2017 est.)
Libya
1.114 million (2017 est.)
Liechtenstein
38,520 (2012) (2015 est.)

note: 51% of the labor force in Liechtenstein commute daily from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany

Lithuania
1.333 million (2020 est.)
Luxembourg
476,000 (2020 est.)

note: data exclude foreign workers; in addition to the figure for domestic labor force, about 150,000 workers commute daily from France, Belgium, and Germany

Macau
392,000 (2020 est.)
Madagascar
13.4 million (2017 est.)
Malawi
7 million (2013 est.)
Malaysia
15.139 million (2020 est.)
Maldives
222,200 (2017 est.)
Mali
6.447 million (2017 est.)
Malta
223,000 (2019 est.)
Marshall Islands
10,670 (2013 est.)
Mauritania
1.437 million (2017 est.)
Mauritius
554,000 (2020 est.)
Mexico
50.914 million (2020 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of
37,920 (2010 est.)
Moldova
1.295 million (2017 est.)
Monaco
52,000 (2014 est.)

note: includes all foreign workers

Mongolia
1.241 million (2017 est.)
Montenegro
167,000 (2020 est.)
Montserrat
4,521 (2012)
Morocco
10.399 million (2020 est.)
Mozambique
12.9 million (2017 est.)
Namibia
956,800 (2017 est.)
Nauru
NA
Nepal
16.81 million (2017 est.)

note: severe lack of skilled labor

Netherlands
8.907 million (2020 est.)
New Caledonia
119,500 (2016 est.)
New Zealand
2.709 million (2020 est.)
Nicaragua
3.046 million (2017 est.)
Niger
6.5 million (2017 est.)
Nigeria
60.08 million (2017 est.)
Niue
663 (2001)
Norfolk Island
978 (2006)
North Macedonia
793,000 (2020 est.)
Northern Mariana Islands
27,970 (2010 est.)

note: includes foreign workers

Norway
2.699 million (2020 est.)
Oman
2.255 million (2016 est.)

note: about 60% of the labor force is non-national

Pakistan
61.71 million (2017 est.)

note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of child labor

Palau
11,610 (2016)
Panama
1.633 million (2017 est.)

note: shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor

Papua New Guinea
3.681 million (2017 est.)
Paraguay
3.428 million (2017 est.)
Peru
3.421 million (2020 est.)

note: individuals older than 14 years of age

Philippines
41.533 million (2020 est.)
Pitcairn Islands
15 (2004)
Poland
9.561 million (2020 est.)
Portugal
4.717 million (2020 est.)
Puerto Rico
1.139 million (December 2014 est.)
Qatar
1.953 million (2017 est.)
Romania
4.889 million (2020 est.)
Russia
69.923 million (2020 est.)
Rwanda
6.227 million (2017 est.)
Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha
2,486 (1998 est.)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
18,170 (June 1995 est.)
Saint Lucia
79,700 (2012 est.)
Saint Martin
17,300 (2008 est.)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
4,429 (2015)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
57,520 (2007 est.)
Samoa
50,700 (2016 est.)
San Marino
21,960 (September 2013 est.)
Sao Tome and Principe
72,600 (2017 est.)
Saudi Arabia
13.8 million (2017 est.)

note: comprised of 3.1 million Saudis and 10.7 million non-Saudis

Senegal
6.966 million (2017 est.)
Serbia
3 million (2020 est.)
Seychelles
51,000 (2018 est.)
Sierra Leone
132,000 (2013 est.)
Singapore
3.778 million (2019 est.)

note: excludes non-residents

Sint Maarten
23,200 (2008 est.)
Slovakia
2.511 million (2020 est.)
Slovenia
885,000 (2020 est.)
Solomon Islands
202,500 (2007 est.)
Somalia
4.154 million (2016 est.)
South Africa
14.687 million (2020 est.)
Spain
19.057 million (2020 est.)
Sri Lanka
8 million (2020 est.)
Sudan
11.92 million (2007 est.)
Suriname
144,000 (2014 est.)
Svalbard
1,590 (2013)
Sweden
5.029 million (2020 est.)
Switzerland
5.067 million (2020 est.)
Syria
3.767 million (2017 est.)
Taiwan
11.498 million (2020 est.)
Tajikistan
2.295 million (2016 est.)
Tanzania
24.89 million (2017 est.)
Thailand
37.546 million (2020 est.)
Timor-Leste
286,700 (2016 est.)
Togo
2.595 million (2007 est.)
Tokelau
1,100 (2019 est.)
Tonga
33,800 (2011 est.)
Trinidad and Tobago
629,400 (2017 est.)
Tunisia
4.054 million (2017 est.)
Turkey
25.677 million (2020 est.)

note: this number is for the domestic labor force only; number does not include about 1.2 million Turks working abroad, nor refugees

Turkmenistan
2.305 million (2013 est.)
Turks and Caicos Islands
4,848 (1990 est.)
Tuvalu
3,615 (2004 est.)
Uganda
15.84 million (2015 est.)
Ukraine
17.99 million (2017 est.)
United Arab Emirates
5.344 million (2017 est.)

note: expatriates account for about 85% of the workforce

United Kingdom
16.033 million (2020 est.)
United States
35.412 million (2020 est.)

note: includes unemployed

Uruguay
1.748 million (2017 est.)
Uzbekistan
13.273 million (2018 est.)
Vanuatu
115,900 (2007 est.)
Venezuela
14.21 million (2017 est.)
Vietnam
54.659 million (2019 est.)
Virgin Islands
48,550 (2016 est.)
Wallis and Futuna
4,482 (2013)
West Bank
1.24 million (2017 est.)

note: excludes Gaza Strip

World
3.432 billion (2017 est.)
Yemen
7.425 million (2017 est.)
Zambia
6.898 million (2017 est.)
Zimbabwe
7.907 million (2017 est.)