St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Labor force, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, St. Vincent and the Grenadines' labor force, total fell 0.4% on 2024 (from 53,881 to 53,688).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.5% and a typical year strayed about 0.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.2% in 1992 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.7% 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about 113.9 a year. A straight line explains 58% 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

In 2025, St. Vincent and the Grenadines had the 179th 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.

Closest to St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the 2025 ranking

• Channel Islands — 176th of 182: 81,617
• Guam — 177th of 182: 78,007
• Samoa — 178th of 182: 57,776
• Virgin Islands (US) — 180th of 182: 47,132
• São Tomé and Principe — 181st of 182: 35,075
• Tonga — 182nd of 182: 33,628

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

• Argentina — 22.42 million (2025)
• Bahamas, The — 245,159 (2025)
• Barbados — 151,620 (2025)
• Belize — 184,286 (2025)
• Bolivia — 6.98 million (2025)
• Brazil — 108.32 million (2025)
• Chile — 10.33 million (2025)
• Colombia — 27.1 million (2025)
• Costa Rica — 2.43 million (2025)
• Cuba — 4.86 million (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 5.51 million (2025)
• Ecuador — 8.98 million (2025)

More social protection & labor data for St. Vincent and the Grenadines

• Net migration — -714 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 38.04% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 64.29% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 51.61% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 68.59% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 84.93% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is St. Vincent and the Grenadines's labor force, total?

53,688 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 23.04% from 43,636 in 1990 (0.59% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 54,627 in 2016 and the lowest 43,636 in 1990.

How does St. Vincent and the Grenadines rank?

179th highest of 182 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in labor force, total unusual for St. Vincent and the Grenadines?

In 2025, St. Vincent and the Grenadines' labor force, total fell 0.4% on 2024 (from 53,881 to 53,688). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.5% and a typical year strayed about 0.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.