Labor force, total - Country Ranking - Europe

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 Germany 43,838,140.00 2021
2 United Kingdom 34,743,740.00 2021
3 Turkey 32,619,100.00 2021
4 France 30,988,680.00 2021
5 Italy 25,064,410.00 2021
6 Spain 23,312,310.00 2021
7 Ukraine 20,327,700.00 2021
8 Poland 18,283,360.00 2021
9 Netherlands 9,865,732.00 2021
10 Romania 8,450,335.00 2021
11 Sweden 5,557,667.00 2021
12 Czech Republic 5,381,852.00 2021
13 Belgium 5,217,353.00 2021
14 Portugal 5,171,689.00 2021
15 Switzerland 4,960,001.00 2021
16 Belarus 4,940,660.00 2021
17 Hungary 4,921,575.00 2021
18 Greece 4,653,394.00 2021
19 Austria 4,647,774.00 2021
20 Bulgaria 3,267,032.00 2021
21 Serbia 3,153,221.00 2021
22 Denmark 3,043,847.00 2021
23 Norway 2,974,296.00 2021
24 Finland 2,809,846.00 2021
25 Slovak Republic 2,782,034.00 2021
26 Ireland 2,495,822.00 2021
27 Croatia 1,791,840.00 2021
28 Lithuania 1,450,936.00 2021
29 Albania 1,374,799.00 2021
30 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,175,552.00 2021
31 Slovenia 1,033,560.00 2021
32 Latvia 941,219.00 2021
33 North Macedonia 917,597.00 2021
34 Moldova 849,706.00 2021
35 Estonia 701,672.00 2021
36 Cyprus 636,100.00 2021
37 Luxembourg 333,818.00 2021
38 Montenegro 278,693.00 2021
39 Malta 275,065.00 2021
40 Iceland 196,880.00 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.