Euro area: Labor force, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Euro area's labor force, total fell 0% on 2024 (from 175.82 million to 175.75 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.6% and a typical year strayed about 0.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.4% in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.3% in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 815,164 a year. A straight line explains 82% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 36 values

Labor force, total in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 9.43 million (2025)
• Algeria — 13.56 million (2025)
• Bahrain — 919,501 (2025)
• Djibouti — 267,610 (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 36.11 million (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 29.52 million (2025)
• Iraq — 12.49 million (2025)
• Israel — 4.83 million (2025)
• Jordan — 3.22 million (2025)
• Kuwait — 2.93 million (2025)
• Lebanon — 1.84 million (2023)
• Libya — 2.62 million (2025)

More social protection & labor data for Euro area

• Net migration — 102,179 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 5.83 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 20,326 (2025)
• Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate) — 33.57% (2025)
• Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate) — 37.54% (2025)
• Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate) — 35.61% (2025)
• Employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) (national estimate) — 49.44% (2025)
• Employment to population ratio, 15+, male (%) (national estimate)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Euro area's labor force, total?

175.75 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 20.03% from 146.41 million in 1990 (0.52% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 175.82 million in 2024 and the lowest 146.41 million in 1990.

Is the latest change in labor force, total unusual for Euro area?

In 2025, Euro area's labor force, total fell 0% on 2024 (from 175.82 million to 175.75 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.6% and a typical year strayed about 0.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database; United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division; Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.TOTL.IN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database; United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division; Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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