Europe & Central Asia: Labor force, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Europe & Central Asia's labor force, total fell 0% on 2024 (from 429.35 million to 429.15 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.3% and a typical year strayed about 0.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.7% in 1999 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.4% in 2022. 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 downward, about 1.26 million a year. A straight line explains 46% 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 Europe & Central Asia

• Net migration — 1.18 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 11.5 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 5.79 million (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 35.9% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 44.5% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 40.3% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Europe & Central Asia's labor force, total?

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

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 10.92% from 386.89 million in 1990 (0.3% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 439.46 million in 2019 and the lowest 386.89 million in 1990.

Is the latest change in labor force, total unusual for Europe & Central Asia?

In 2025, Europe & Central Asia's labor force, total fell 0% on 2024 (from 429.35 million to 429.15 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.3% and a typical year strayed about 0.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

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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