BS
Labour · Latin America & Caribbean · High income
Bahamas: the labour market
Labour force is 245,159 (2025), 171st of 187 in the world and 26th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Participation rate is 73.8% (2025), 19th of 187 in the world and 2nd of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Women's participation is 70.7% (2025), 17th of 187 in the world and 2nd of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean.
Labour force
Bahamas
Participation rate
BahamasLatin America & CaribbeanHigh incomeWorld
12 indicators
Labour: Bahamas in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Latin America & Caribbean; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 245,1592025 | 171/187 | 26/31 | 173,823 | 208,102 | 216,992 | +9.3%since 2015 | 325m | 734m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 73.8%2025 | 19/187 | 2/31 | 74.4% | 73.8% | 68.1% | −0.2 ppsince 2015 | 62.7% | 61.0% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 70.7%2025 | 17/187 | 2/31 | 68.1% | 69.5% | 65.2% | +0.4 ppsince 2015 | 51.4% | 54.3% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 67.0%2025 | 27/187 | 4/31 | 69.1% | 63.2% | 59.9% | +1.9 ppsince 2015 | 59.3% | 58.3% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 9.2%2025 | 43/187 | 6/31 | 7.1% | 14.4% | 12.0% | −2.8 ppsince 2015 | 5.5% | 4.4% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 9.2%2025 | 57/187 | 11/31 | 8.2% | 14.7% | 11.9% | −3.8 ppsince 2015 | 6.5% | 4.6% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 19.2%2025 | 54/187 | 12/31 | 15.5% | 26.6% | 23.9% | −5.5 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 11.5% | 13.4% | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 82.9%2025 | 52/187 | 3/31 | 84.0% | 85.3% | 84.8% | −2.2 ppsince 2015 | 64.4% | 88.9% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 15.9%2025 | 128/187 | 29/31 | 14.8% | 13.7% | 14.3% | +2.1 ppsince 2015 | 31.5% | 8.0% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 0.8%2025 | 183/187 | 31/31 | 4.1% | 3.3% | 0.9% | −1.1 ppsince 2015 | 12.7% | 2.9% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 14.8%2025 | 143/187 | 29/31 | 17.0% | 14.6% | 14.3% | +1.2 ppsince 2015 | 20.5% | 22.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 84.4%2025 | 8/187 | 1/31 | 78.9% | 82.1% | 84.7% | −0.1 ppsince 2015 | 66.8% | 74.9% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+0.4 pp70.7% in 2025
- Employment rate+1.9 pp67.0% in 2025
- Unemployment−2.8 pp9.2% in 2025
- Female unemployment−3.8 pp9.2% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Wage workers−2.2 pp82.9% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment+2.1 pp15.9% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Bahamas and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Bahamas. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Bahamas | United States | United Kingdom | Turks and Caicos Islands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 245,1592025 | 175m2025 | 35.4m2025 | — |
| Participation rate | 73.8%2025 | 61.7%2025 | 61.4%2025 | — |
| Women's participation | 70.7%2025 | 56.3%2025 | 57.3%2025 | — |
| Employment rate | 67.0%2025 | 59.1%2025 | 58.5%2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 9.2%2025 | 4.2%2025 | 4.7%2025 | — |
| Female unemployment | 9.2%2025 | 4.2%2025 | 4.4%2025 | — |
| Youth unemployment | 19.2%2025 | 9.3%2025 | 14.6%2025 | — |
| Wage workers | 82.9%2025 | 93.9%2025 | 86.9%2025 | — |
| Vulnerable employment | 15.9%2025 | 3.8%2025 | 11.5%2025 | — |