Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan's labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) rose 2.51 percentage points on 2020 (from 46.48% to 48.99%).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2020), the average change was −0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.26 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.51 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.99 percentage points 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 2012 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 12% of the movement over 9 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.

Limitations: Data on the labor force are compiled by the ILO from labor force surveys, censuses, and establishment censuses and surveys. For some countries a combination of these sources is used. Labor force surveys are the most comprehensive source for internationally comparable labor force data. They can cover all non-institutionalized civilians, all branches and sectors of the economy, and all categories of workers, including people holding multiple jobs. By contrast, labor force data from population censuses are often based on a limited number of questions on the economic characteristics of individuals, with little scope to probe.

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

All 17 values

Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Algeria — 41.81% (2017)
• Bahrain — 71.57% (2015)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 47.96% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 40.71% (2024)
• Israel — 62.46% (2025)
• Jordan — 40.82% (2024)
• Kuwait — 73.84% (2016)
• Malta

More social protection & labor data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

• Net migration — -775,711 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 4.3 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 8.25 million (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 14.12% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 49.99% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 32.56% (2025)

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Questions people ask

What is Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan's labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate)?

48.99% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 5.46 percentage points from 43.53% in 2000. The highest value was 49.47% in 2019 and the lowest 43.53% in 2000.

Is the latest change in labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) unusual for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.CACT.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 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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