Philippines's labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) was 70.99% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 1.92 percentage points from 72.91% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 70.99% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 70.57% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 72.91% | 2014 |
| Highest | 83.3% | 1987 |
| Lowest | 45.18% | 1980 |
| Average since 2015 | 70.3% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 82.41% | 1960 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Philippines' labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) rose 0.01 percentage points on 2023 (from 70.99% to 70.99%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.36 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.45 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 6.39 percentage points in 2002 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.64 percentage points in 2003. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 9% 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 2024, Philippines had the 9th highest value of the 24 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.
Closest to Philippines in the 2024 ranking
- Lesotho — 6th of 24: 73.9%
- Botswana — 7th of 24: 73.36%
- Fiji — 8th of 24: 71.27%
- Egypt, Arab Rep. — 10th of 24: 70.96%
- Montenegro — 11th of 24: 70.58%
- Albania — 12th of 24: 69.94%
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 46 values
| Year | Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 70.99 |
| 2023 | 70.99 |
| 2022 | 71.16 |
| 2021 | 67.45 |
| 2020 | 65.39 |
| 2019 | 70.57 |
| 2018 | 70.51 |
| 2017 | 71.2 |
| 2016 | 72.78 |
| 2015 | 71.91 |
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) in nearby economies
- Australia — 70.77% (2025)
- Brunei Darussalam — 71.34% (2025)
- Cambodia — 85.35% (2025)
- Fiji — 71.27% (2024)
- Hong Kong SAR, China — 62.32% (2025)
- Indonesia — 81.54% (2023)
- Japan — 71.7% (2025)
- Korea, Rep.
More social protection & labor data for Philippines
- Net migration — -149,315 (2025)
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 2.36% (2024)
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 2.61% (2024)
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) — 2.18% (2024)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 1,032 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 807 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 49.4% (2024)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Philippines's labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate)?
- 70.99% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is down 11.42 percentage points from 82.41% in 1960. The highest value was 83.3% in 1987 and the lowest 45.18% in 1980.
- How does Philippines rank?
- 9th highest of 24 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) unusual for Philippines?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.CACT.MA.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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