ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in Pakistan
Pakistan: ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by was 26.37 % in 2025. ▲ Rising
ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in Pakistan, 2006–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in Pakistan stood at 26.37 %.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in Pakistan peaked at 32.13 % in 2016 and was at its lowest, 21.38 %, in 2006.
That places Pakistan 74th out of 79 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 21.38 % | — |
| 2007 | 22.3 % | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 24.74 % | +10.9% |
| 2009 | 27.48 % | +11.1% |
| 2010 | 27.03 % | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 27.86 % | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 26.75 % | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 29.35 % | +9.7% |
| 2015 | 29.26 % | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 32.13 % | +9.8% |
| 2018 | 28.11 % | -12.5% |
| 2019 | 28.74 % | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 21.64 % | -24.7% |
| 2025 | 26.37 % | +21.9% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 26.37 % is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 43.38 %, 61% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 26.37 % is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 23.98 %, 1.1× the median. (7 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.98 % | 21.38 % | 27.48 % | 4 |
| 2010s | 28.65 % | 26.75 % | 32.13 % | 8 |
| 2020s | 24.01 % | 21.64 % | 26.37 % | 2 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
- 71 South Africa 29.91 % compare
- 72 Costa Rica 29.15 % compare
- 73 Malaysia 28.21 % compare
- 75 Egypt 23.98 % compare
- 76 Bangladesh 21.85 % compare
- 77 Tunisia 11.41 % compare
More economy & growth data for Pakistan
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.11 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 267.00 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0007 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1.05 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 1.85 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -30.51 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0045 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 7.26 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 43.72 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in Pakistan?
- Ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by in Pakistan was 26.37 % in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 32.13 % in 2016.
- What is the lowest ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.38 % in 2006.
- How does Pakistan rank for ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by?
- Pakistan ranks 74th out of 79 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ilostat - labour force survey — labour force participation rate by rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Labour force participation rate by age, 55 to 64, rural areas — Female — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The FAOSTAT Employment indicators domain focuses on indicators related to employment in agrifood systems and rural areas. The update is performed yearly, using data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) database that contains a rich set of indicators from a wide range of topics related to labour statistics. The indicators published in FAOSTAT are derived from the labour force statistics (LFS) and rural and urban labour markets (RURURB) databases of the ILOSTAT database.