South Asia (IDA & IBRD): Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 2.99 percentage points from 28.59% in 2020. Since 1971 it is down 11.87 percentage points from 43.44% in 1971. The World Bank has no value for 38 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.13 percentage points in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.96 percentage points in 2001. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2018 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.97 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 75% of the movement over 8 observed years.

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

What this measures

Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 is the proportion of the population ages 15-24 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 for ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Algeria — 24.61% (2016)
• Bahrain — 43.14% (2015)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 28.71% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 23.16% (2024)
• Israel — 44.61% (2025)
• Jordan — 24.97% (2024)
• Kuwait — 25.56% (2016)
• Malta — 53.26% (2025)

More social protection & labor data for South Asia (IDA & IBRD)

• Net migration — -1.3 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 1.44 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 238,179 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 19.57% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 45.37% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 32.97% (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 South Asia (IDA & IBRD)'s labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate)?

31.57% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 11.87 percentage points from 43.44% in 1971. The highest value was 53.05% in 1981 and the lowest 26.78% in 2018.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.ACTI.1524.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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