West Bank and Gaza's labor force, total was 1.39 million in 2022, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 42.33% from 977,472 in 2012 (3.59% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 1.39 million | 2022 |
| Five years earlier | 1.18 million | 2017 |
| Ten years earlier | 977,472 | 2012 |
| Highest | 1.39 million | 2022 |
| Lowest | 406,130 | 1990 |
| Average since 2013 | 1.19 million | 2013–2022 |
| First recorded | 406,130 |
What the numbers say
In 2022, West Bank and Gaza's labor force, total rose 6.9% on 2021 (from 1.3 million to 1.39 million).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +3.9% and a typical year strayed about 3.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 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 11.8% in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 6% 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 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 35,665 a year. A straight line explains 91% 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.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about 1.46 million for 2025. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2020 to 2022 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 52,270, against 81,704 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
See how every economy compares in the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| West Bank and Gaza | 1.39 million | 2022 |
| World | 3.74 billion | 2025 |
| Lower middle income | 1.2 billion | 2025 |
Closest to West Bank and Gaza in the 2022 ranking
- Sudan — 1st of 2: 10.95 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 33 values
| Year | Labor force, total |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,391,230 |
| 2021 | 1,301,690 |
| 2020 | 1,193,390 |
| 2019 | 1,254,417 |
| 2018 | 1,198,168 |
| 2017 | 1,181,552 |
| 2016 | 1,149,280 |
| 2015 | 1,124,303 |
| 2014 | 1,047,752 |
| 2013 | 1,010,156 |
| 2012 |
Labor force, total in nearby economies
- Afghanistan — 9.43 million (2025)
- Algeria — 13.56 million (2025)
- Bahrain — 919,501 (2025)
- Djibouti — 267,610 (2025)
- Egypt, Arab Rep. — 36.11 million (2025)
- Iran, Islamic Rep. — 29.52 million (2025)
- Iraq — 12.49 million (2025)
- Israel — 4.83 million (2025)
- Jordan — 3.22 million (2025)
- Kuwait — 2.93 million (2025)
- Lebanon — 1.84 million (2023)
- Libya — 2.62 million (2025)
More social protection & labor data for West Bank and Gaza
- Net migration — -23,156 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 48,323 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 10.88% (2022)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 51.15% (2022)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 30.81% (2022)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 20.13% (2022)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is West Bank and Gaza's labor force, total?
- 1.39 million in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1990?
- It is up 242.56% from 406,130 in 1990 (3.92% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.39 million in 2022 and the lowest 406,130 in 1990.
- Is the latest change in labor force, total unusual for West Bank and Gaza?
- In 2022, West Bank and Gaza's labor force, total rose 6.9% on 2021 (from 1.3 million to 1.39 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +3.9% and a typical year strayed about 3.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations above 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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