Governance

Labor force

SL.TLF.TOTL.IN · people

Annual series published by the World Bank. The chart carries the trajectory, the table carries the year by year figures, and the definition at the foot of the page is the World Bank's own, quoted as it stands.

Countries compared

9 countries compared out of 142 available.

Latest known value: 25.66 m people for Italy in 2025, over a series running from 1990 to 2025 and 9 countries compared, from the highest (China, 768.07 m people) to the lowest (Latvia, 948,428 people).

Compare with the other governance indicators

Latest known valueclick to hide

Year by year values

Click the Year header to reverse the order. An empty cell means the World Bank publishes nothing for that country that year.

Annual values by country
	Italy	Spain	Netherlands	United States	China	South Sudan	Sierra Leone	Latvia	Romania
2025	25.66 m people	24.76 m people	10.35 m people	174.83 m people	768.07 m people		2.93 m people	948,428 people	8.24 m people
2024	25.76 m people	24.6 m people	10.31 m people	174.17 m people	768.16 m people		2.87 m people	960,324 people	8.26 m people
2023	25.81 m people	24.15 m people	10.27 m people	172.27 m people	774.61 m people	5.07 m people	2.79 m people	968,514 people	8.3 m people
2022	25.35 m people	23.77 m people	10.07 m people	169.48 m people	770.11 m people	4.79 m people	2.71 m people	962,817 people	8.42 m people
2021	25.03 m people	23.39 m people	9.86 m people	167.18 m people	781.19 m people	4.66 m people	2.63 m people	950,956 people	8.42 m people
2020	24.98 m people	22.92 m people	9.79 m people	166.57 m people	760.88 m people	4.51 m people	2.54 m people	982,835 people	8.4 m people
2019	25.76 m people	23.23 m people	9.74 m people	168.92 m people	775.93 m people	4.35 m people	2.49 m people	982,724 people	8.46 m people
2018	25.78 m people	23.01 m people	9.61 m people	167 m people	776.87 m people	4.14 m people	2.42 m people	994,948 people	8.48 m people
2017	25.72 m people	23.03 m people	9.49 m people	165.6 m people	779.17 m people	4.19 m people	2.38 m people	995,587 people	8.55 m people
2016	25.55 m people	23.05 m people	9.43 m people	163.89 m people	780.93 m people	4.51 m people	2.34 m people	1 m people	8.46 m people
2015	25.27 m people	23.13 m people	9.39 m people	161.93 m people	781.08 m people	4.67 m people	2.3 m people	1.01 m people	8.56 m people
2014	25.33 m people	23.18 m people	9.28 m people	160.88 m people	780.37 m people	4.76 m people	2.26 m people	1.01 m people	8.48 m people
2013	25.18 m people	23.4 m people	9.3 m people	160.13 m people	779.25 m people	4.78 m people	2.23 m people	1.02 m people	8.44 m people
2012	25.27 m people	23.6 m people	9.26 m people	159.68 m people	779.02 m people	4.6 m people	2.21 m people	1.04 m people	8.46 m people
2011	24.72 m people	23.59 m people	9.15 m people	158.54 m people	778.28 m people	4.38 m people	2.18 m people	1.03 m people	8.47 m people
2010	24.68 m people	23.52 m people	9.11 m people	158.33 m people	773.87 m people	4.11 m people	2.15 m people	1.06 m people	8.57 m people
2009	24.72 m people	23.4 m people	9.09 m people	158.35 m people	772.14 m people	3.87 m people	2.11 m people	1.1 m people	8.1 m people
2008	24.9 m people	23.16 m people	9.07 m people	158.27 m people	769.78 m people	3.67 m people	2.08 m people	1.15 m people	8.82 m people
2007	24.53 m people	22.53 m people	9.01 m people	156.59 m people	766.49 m people	3.46 m people	2.06 m people	1.14 m people	8.92 m people
2006	24.53 m people	21.94 m people	8.97 m people	155.27 m people	761.96 m people	3.27 m people	2.04 m people	1.12 m people	9.03 m people
2005	24.44 m people	21.23 m people	8.94 m people	153.12 m people	754.47 m people	3.08 m people	2.02 m people	1.09 m people	9.05 m people
2004	24.57 m people	20.45 m people	8.93 m people	151.22 m people	744.94 m people	2.92 m people	1.99 m people	1.1 m people	9.07 m people
2003	23.94 m people	19.76 m people	8.92 m people	149.99 m people	735.68 m people	2.78 m people	1.88 m people	1.1 m people	9.1 m people
2002	23.62 m people	18.99 m people	8.9 m people	149.24 m people	725.94 m people	2.66 m people	1.8 m people	1.12 m people	9.1 m people
2001	23.4 m people	18.16 m people	8.85 m people	148.21 m people	715.93 m people	2.56 m people	1.7 m people	1.09 m people	9.23 m people
2000	23.34 m people	18.28 m people	8.77 m people	147.14 m people	706.84 m people	2.45 m people	1.61 m people	1.09 m people	9.33 m people
1999	23.31 m people	17.76 m people	8.68 m people	145.08 m people	700.43 m people	2.34 m people	1.57 m people	1.13 m people	9.28 m people
1998	23.19 m people	17.45 m people	8.6 m people	143.1 m people	694.01 m people	2.27 m people	1.56 m people	1.15 m people	9.23 m people
1997	23.03 m people	17.19 m people	8.53 m people	141.36 m people	686.47 m people	2.21 m people	1.55 m people	1.16 m people	9.17 m people
1996	22.98 m people	16.87 m people	8.47 m people	138.78 m people	678.36 m people	2.15 m people	1.53 m people	1.18 m people	9.1 m people
1995	22.75 m people	16.6 m people	8.41 m people	136.62 m people	671.24 m people	2.11 m people	1.53 m people	1.19 m people	9.09 m people
1994	22.89 m people	16.47 m people	8.37 m people	134.61 m people	664.57 m people	2.05 m people	1.53 m people	1.21 m people	9.09 m people
1993	23.18 m people	16.13 m people	8.32 m people	132.27 m people	658.33 m people	2 m people	1.52 m people	1.24 m people	9.06 m people
1992	23.36 m people	15.91 m people	8.26 m people	130.85 m people	652.55 m people	1.99 m people	1.53 m people	1.26 m people	8.99 m people
1991	24.07 m people	15.68 m people	8.18 m people	128.74 m people	646.25 m people	1.96 m people	1.56 m people	1.26 m people	8.94 m people
1990	23.72 m people	15.54 m people	8.1 m people	127.82 m people	639.91 m people	1.92 m people	1.54 m people	1.27 m people	8.91 m people

World Bank definition

Labor force, total

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.

Text published by the World Bank for indicator SL.TLF.TOTL.IN, reproduced unchanged.

The same indicator across Europe & Central Asia

Latest known value for each country in the region, ranked from highest to lowest. Click a country to add it to your comparison: there is no longer any limit on how many countries you compare.

The same indicator across Europe & Central Asia

Source: World Bank, World Bank Open Data Annual series, fetched server side and cached for 24 hours. The World Bank is never called from your browser.