Field Listing :: Labor force
This entry contains the total labor force figure.
Country Comparison to the World
Country
Labor force
Afghanistan 15 million (2004 est.)
Albania 1.098 million (2012 est.)
Algeria 11.05 million (2012 est.)
American Samoa 17,630 (2005)
Andorra 36,060 (2012)
Angola 8.745 million (2012 est.)
Anguilla 6,049 (2001)
Antigua and Barbuda 30,000 (1991)
Argentina 17.05 million
note: urban areas only (2012 est.)
Armenia 1.386 million (2012 est.)
Aruba 51,610
note: of the 51,610 workers aged 15 and over in the labor force, 32,252 were born in Aruba and 19,353 came from abroad; foreign workers are 38% of the employed population (2007 est.)
Australia 12.15 million (2012 est.)
Austria 36,060 (2012)
Azerbaijan 4.696 million (2012 est.)
Bahamas, The 192,200 (2012)
Bahrain 655,300
note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2012 est.)
Bangladesh 77 million
note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances were $10.9 billion in FY09/10 (2012 est.)
Barbados 142,000 (2012 est.)
Belarus 5 million (2009)
Belgium 5.19 million (2012 est.)
Belize 120,500
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2008 est.)
Benin 3.662 million (2007 est.)
Bermuda 37,400 (2011)
Bhutan 299,900
note: major shortage of skilled labor (2008)
Bolivia 4.724 million (2012 est.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.49 million (2012 est.)
Botswana 1.288 million (2012 est.)
Brazil 105.7 million (2012 est.)
British Virgin Islands 12,770 (2004)
Brunei 205,800 (2011 est.)
Bulgaria 2.585 million (2012 est.)
Burkina Faso 6.668 million
note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2007)
Burma 33.41 million (2012 est.)
Burundi 4.245 million (2007)
Cabo Verde 196,100 (2007)
Cambodia 7.9 million (2011 est.)
Cameroon 8.246 million (2012 est.)
Canada 18.89 million (2012 est.)
Cayman Islands 39,000
note: nearly 55% are non-nationals (2007)
Central African Republic 2.082 million (2011 est.)
Chad 4.293 million (2007)
Chile 8.234 million (2012 est.)
China 798.5 million
note: by the end of 2012, China's population at working age (15-64 years) was 1.0040 billion
Christmas Island NA
Cocos (Keeling) Islands NA
Colombia 23.09 million (2012 est.)
Comoros 233,500 (2011 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the 34.12 million (2012 est.)
Congo, Republic of the 2.89 million (2011 est.)
Cook Islands 6,820 (2001)
Costa Rica 2.182 million
note: this official estimate excludes Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica (2012 est.)
Cote d'Ivoire 7.746 million (2012 est.)
Croatia 1.702 million (2012 est.)
Cuba 5.227 million
note: state sector 72.3%, non-state sector 27.7% (2012 est.)
Curacao 62,040 (2011)
Cyprus 428,900 (2012 est.)
Czech Republic 5.404 million (2012 est.)
Denmark 2.784 million (2012 est.)
Djibouti 351,700 (2007)
Dominica 25,000 (2000 est.)
Dominican Republic 4.806 million (2012 est.)
Ecuador 4.769 million (2012 est.)
Egypt 27 million (2012 est.)
El Salvador 2.725 million (2012 est.)
Equatorial Guinea 195,200 (2007)
Eritrea 1.935 million (2007)
Estonia 695,000 (2012 est.)
Ethiopia 44.02 million (2012 est.)
European Union 229.9 million (2012 est.)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 5,246 (2006)
Faroe Islands 34,710 (November 2010)
Fiji 335,000 (2007 est.)
Finland 2.69 million (2012 est.)
France 29.78 million (2012 est.)
French Polynesia 116,000 (2007)
Gabon 616,700 (2012 est.)
Gambia, The 777,100 (2007)
Gaza Strip 58.98 million (2012 est.)
Georgia 1.959 million (2011 est.)
Germany 43.92 million (2012 est.)
Ghana 11.79 million (2012 est.)
Gibraltar 12,690 (2001) (2001)
Greece 4.95 million (2012 est.)
Greenland 33,670 (2010)
Grenada 47,580 (2008)
Guam 69,390
note: this number is for the civilian labor force only (2010 est.)
Guatemala 4.356 million (2012 est.)
Guernsey 31,470 (March 2006)
Guinea 5.24 million (2012 est.)
Guinea-Bissau 632,700 (2007)
Guyana 313,100 (2009 est.)
Haiti 4.81 million
note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (2010 est.)
Holy See (Vatican City) 2,832 (December 2011)
Honduras 3.437 million (2012 est.)
Hong Kong 3.792 million (2012 est.)
Hungary 4.257 million (2012 est.)
Iceland 180,100 (2012 est.)
India 482.3 million (2012 est.)
Indonesia 118.1 million (2012 est.)
Iran 27.05 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (2012 est.)
Iraq 8.9 million (2010 est.)
Ireland 2.154 million (2012 est.)
Isle of Man 41,790 (2006)
Israel 3.606 million (2012 est.)
Italy 25.62 million (2012 est.)
Jamaica 1.26 million (2012 est.)
Japan 65.55 million (2012 est.)
Jersey 53,380 (June 2012)
Jordan 1.835 million (2012 est.)
Kazakhstan 8.983 million (2012 est.)
Kenya 19.11 million (2012 est.)
Kiribati 7,870
note: economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001)
Korea, North 12.2 million
note: estimates vary widely (2009 est.)
Korea, South 25.5 million (2012 est.)
Kosovo 800,000
note: includes those estimated to be employed in the grey economy (2011 est.)
Kuwait 2.304 million
note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 60% of the labor force (2012 est.)
Kyrgyzstan 2.344 million (2007)
Laos 3.308 million (2012 est.)
Latvia 1.031 million (2012 est.)
Lebanon 1.481 million
note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2007 est.)
Lesotho 855,600 (2012 est.)
Liberia 1.372 million (2007)
Libya 1.353 million (2012 est.)
Liechtenstein 35,250 (2012)
note: 51% of the labor force in Liechtenstein commuted daily from Austria, Switzerland, or Germany (2012)
Lithuania 1.474 million (2012 est.)
Luxembourg 208,200
note: data exclude foreign workers; in addition to the figure for domestic labor force, about 150,000 workers commute daily from France, Belgium, and Germany (2012 est.)
Macau 356,700 (2012 est.)
Macedonia 943,100 (2012 est.)
Madagascar 9.504 million (2007)
Malawi 5.747 million (2007 est.)
Malaysia 12.9 million (2012 est.)
Maldives 152,500 (2010)
Mali 3.241 million (2007 est.)
Malta 184,500 (2012 est.)
Marshall Islands 10,480 (2011 est.)
Mauritania 1.318 million (2007)
Mauritius 626,900 (2012 est.)
Mexico 50.64 million (2012 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of 15,920 (2011)
Moldova 1.215 million (2012 est.)
Monaco 50,580
note: includes workers from all foreign countries (2011 est.)
Mongolia 1.037 million (2011 est.)
Montenegro 251,300 (2011 est.)
Montserrat 4,521 (2012)
Morocco 11.53 million (2012 est.)
Mozambique 10.29 million (2012 est.)
Namibia 911,500 (2012 est.)
Nepal 18 million
note: severe lack of skilled labor (2009 est.)
Netherlands 7.895 million (2012 est.)
New Caledonia 106,400 (2010)
New Zealand 2.381 million (2012 est.)
Nicaragua 2.961 million (2012 est.)
Niger 4.688 million (2007)
Nigeria 5.5 million (2012 est.)
Niue 663 (2001)
Norfolk Island 978 (2006)
Northern Mariana Islands 38,450
note: nearly 29,000 of these were foreign workers (2005 est.)
Norway 2.678 million (2012 est.)
Oman 968,800
note: about 60% of the labor force is non-national (2007)
Pakistan 59.21 million
note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of child labor (2012 est.)
Palau 9,777 (2005)
Panama 1.517 million
note: shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor (2012 est.)
Papua New Guinea 3.986 million (2012 est.)
Paraguay 3.137 million (2012 est.)
Peru 11.02 million
note: individuals older than 14 years of age (2012 est.)
Philippines 40.43 million (2012 est.)
Pitcairn Islands 15 (2004)
Poland 18.17 million (2012 est.)
Portugal 5.495 million (2012 est.)
Puerto Rico 1.286 million (March 2012)
Qatar 1.339 million (2012 est.)
Romania 9.252 million (2012 est.)
Russia 75.68 million (2012 est.)
Rwanda 4.446 million (2007)
Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha 2,486 (1998 est.)
Saint Kitts and Nevis 18,170 (June 1995)
Saint Lucia 79,700 (2012)
Saint Martin 17,300 (2008 est.)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon 3,194 (2006)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 57,520 (2007 est.)
Samoa 47,930 (2011 est.)
San Marino 21,830 (December 2012)
Sao Tome and Principe 52,490 (2007)
Saudi Arabia 8.012 million
note: about 80% of the labor force is non-national (2012 est.)
Senegal 5.91 million (2012 est.)
Serbia 3.17 million (2012 est.)
Seychelles 39,560 (2006)
Sierra Leone 2.207 million (2007 est.)
Singapore 3.362 million
note: excludes non-residents (2012 est.)
Sint Maarten 23,200 (2008 est.)
Slovakia 2.724 million (2012 est.)
Slovenia 920,200 (2012 est.)
Solomon Islands 202,500 (2007)
Somalia 3.447 million (2007)
South Africa 18.06 million (2012 est.)
Spain 23.05 million (2012 est.)
Sri Lanka 8.465 million (2012 est.)
Sudan 11.92 million (2007 est.)
Suriname 165,600 (2007)
Svalbard 1,234 (2003)
Swaziland 424,100 (2011 est.)
Sweden 5.058 million (2012 est.)
Switzerland 4.954 million (2012 est.)
Syria 5.327 million (2012 est.)
Taiwan 11.34 million (2012 est.)
Tajikistan 2.1 million (2012)
Tanzania 24.82 million (2012 est.)
Thailand 39.41 million (2012 est.)
Timor-Leste 418,200 (2009)
Togo 2.595 million (2007)
Tokelau 440 (2001)
Tonga 39,960 (2007)
Trinidad and Tobago 618,200 (2012 est.)
Tunisia 3.914 million (2012 est.)
Turkey 27.34 million
note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2012 est.)
Turkmenistan 2.3 million (2008 est.)
Turks and Caicos Islands 4,848 (1990 est.)
Tuvalu 3,615 (2004 est.)
Uganda 16.83 million (2012 est.)
Ukraine 22.11 million (2012 est.)
United Arab Emirates 4.337 million
note: expatriates account for about 85% of the work force (2012 est.)
United Kingdom 32.07 million (2012 est.)
United States 155 million
note: includes unemployed (2012 est.)
Uruguay 1.691 million (2012 est.)
Uzbekistan 16.73 million (2012 est.)
Vanuatu 115,900 (2007)
Venezuela 13.49 million (2012 est.)
Vietnam 52.29 million (2012 est.)
Virgin Islands 49,820 (2007 est.)
Wallis and Futuna 3,104 (2003)
West Bank 982,300 (2012 est.)
Western Sahara 144,000 (2010 est.)
World 3.297 billion (2012 est.)
Yemen 7.158 million (2012 est.)
Zambia 6.098 million (2012 est.)
Zimbabwe 3.931 million (2012 est.)