Labor force, total - Country Ranking - Asia

Definition: 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.

Source: Derived using data from International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database and World Bank population estimates. Labor data retrieved in September 2019.

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

Find indicator:
Rank Country Value Year
1 China 793,776,700.00 2021
2 India 471,295,300.00 2021
3 Indonesia 139,164,200.00 2021
4 Pakistan 73,780,210.00 2021
5 Russia 72,054,140.00 2021
6 Bangladesh 69,816,260.00 2021
7 Japan 68,014,220.00 2021
8 Vietnam 56,150,900.00 2021
9 Philippines 43,830,400.00 2021
10 Thailand 39,052,020.00 2021
11 Turkey 32,619,100.00 2021
12 Korea 28,606,250.00 2021
13 Iran 26,410,580.00 2021
14 Myanmar 22,466,940.00 2021
15 Nepal 16,994,400.00 2021
16 Dem. People's Rep. Korea 16,934,340.00 2021
17 Malaysia 16,277,080.00 2021
18 Saudi Arabia 16,137,540.00 2021
19 Uzbekistan 14,276,050.00 2021
20 Iraq 10,719,020.00 2021
21 Afghanistan 9,695,428.00 2021
22 Cambodia 9,358,533.00 2021
23 Kazakhstan 9,279,286.00 2021
24 Sri Lanka 8,189,249.00 2021
25 Yemen 6,910,687.00 2021
26 United Arab Emirates 6,498,588.00 2021
27 Syrian Arab Republic 5,447,950.00 2021
28 Azerbaijan 4,970,609.00 2021
29 Israel 4,209,156.00 2021
30 Hong Kong SAR, China 3,865,680.00 2021
31 Lao PDR 3,856,860.00 2021
32 Singapore 3,441,494.00 2021
33 Oman 2,749,750.00 2021
34 Jordan 2,658,875.00 2021
35 Kyrgyz Republic 2,546,885.00 2021
36 Tajikistan 2,463,051.00 2021
37 Kuwait 2,405,824.00 2021
38 Qatar 2,208,614.00 2021
39 Lebanon 2,171,593.00 2021
40 Turkmenistan 1,943,497.00 2021
41 Georgia 1,744,210.00 2021
42 Mongolia 1,347,635.00 2021
43 Armenia 1,220,498.00 2021
44 Bahrain 1,007,485.00 2021
45 Timor-Leste 567,849.00 2021
46 Macao SAR, China 387,774.00 2021
47 Bhutan 353,617.00 2021
48 Brunei 218,653.00 2021

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Statistical Concept and Methodology: The labor force is the supply of labor available for producing goods and services in an economy. 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. Data are generated with World Bank population estimates and ILO estimates on labor force participation rate. The ILO estimates are harmonized to ensure comparability across countries and over time by accounting for differences in data source, scope of coverage, methodology, and other country-specific factors. The estimates are based mainly on nationally representative labor force surveys, with other sources (population censuses and nationally reported estimates) used only when no survey data are available.

Aggregation method: Sum

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections.