Italy's labor force, total was 25.66 million in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 1.54% from 25.27 million in 2015 (0.15% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 25.66 million | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 24.98 million | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 25.27 million | 2015 |
| Highest | 25.81 million | 2023 |
| Lowest | 22.75 million | 1995 |
| Average since 2016 | 25.54 million | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 23.72 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Italy's labor force, total fell 0.4% on 2024 (from 25.76 million to 25.66 million).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.4% and a typical year strayed about 1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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 2.6% in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, Italy had the 28th highest value of the 182 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | 25.66 million | 2025 |
| World | 3.74 billion | 2025 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 429.15 million | 2025 |
| High income | 733.62 million | 2025 |
Closest to Italy in the 2025 ranking
- Iran, Islamic Rep. — 24th of 182: 29.52 million
- Colombia — 25th of 182: 27.1 million
- South Africa — 26th of 182: 26.73 million
- Spain — 28th of 182: 24.76 million
- Kenya — 29th of 182: 24.71 million
- Uganda — 30th of 182: 23.39 million
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
| Year | Labor force, total |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 25,660,587 |
| 2024 | 25,756,934 |
| 2023 | 25,806,816 |
| 2022 | 25,351,560 |
| 2021 | 25,032,297 |
| 2020 | 24,984,272 |
| 2019 | 25,761,500 |
| 2018 | 25,784,537 |
| 2017 | 25,724,021 |
| 2016 | 25,548,902 |
| 2015 |
Labor force, total in nearby economies
- Albania — 1.26 million (2025)
- Armenia — 1.49 million (2025)
- Austria — 4.75 million (2025)
- Azerbaijan — 5.11 million (2025)
- Belarus — 4.8 million (2025)
- Belgium — 5.46 million (2025)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 1.34 million (2025)
- Bulgaria — 3.09 million (2025)
- Channel Islands — 81,617 (2025)
- Croatia — 1.74 million (2025)
- Cyprus — 770,268 (2025)
- Czechia — 5.58 million (2025)
More social protection & labor data for Italy
- Net migration — 75,448 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 192,914 (2025)
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 6.76% (2025)
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) — 5.66% (2025)
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 6.13% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate) — 18.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate) — 26.37% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate) — 22.58% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Italy's labor force, total?
- 25.66 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1990?
- It is up 8.16% from 23.72 million in 1990 (0.22% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 25.81 million in 2023 and the lowest 22.75 million in 1995.
- How does Italy rank?
- 28th highest of 182 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in labor force, total unusual for Italy?
- In 2025, Italy's labor force, total fell 0.4% on 2024 (from 25.76 million to 25.66 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.4% and a typical year strayed about 1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
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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