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Labour · Europe & Central Asia · Lower-middle income
Kyrgyzstan: the labour market
Labour force is 2.9m (2025), 115th of 187 in the world and 30th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Participation rate is 57.4% (2025), 126th of 187 in the world and 35th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Women's participation is 44.1% (2025), 140th of 187 in the world and 41st of 49 in Europe & Central Asia.
Labour force
Kyrgyzstan
Participation rate
KyrgyzstanEurope & Central AsiaLower-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Kyrgyzstan in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; 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 | 2.9m2025 | 115/187 | 30/49 | 2.1m | 2.4m | 2.6m | +17%since 2015 | 429m | 1.2bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 57.4%2025 | 126/187 | 35/49 | 67.0% | 62.3% | 57.3% | −2.1 ppsince 2015 | 58.2% | 58.2% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 44.1%2025 | 140/187 | 41/49 | 57.9% | 51.4% | 43.9% | −3.3 ppsince 2015 | 51.1% | 39.2% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 55.3%2025 | 111/187 | 28/49 | 65.6% | 60.2% | 53.9% | −1.7 ppsince 2015 | 55.1% | 55.6% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 3.5%2025 | 130/187 | 43/49 | 2.1% | 3.5% | 5.9% | −0.6 ppsince 2015 | 5.4% | 4.5% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 4.0%2025 | 130/187 | 38/49 | 2.3% | 3.8% | 7.0% | −0.5 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.9% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 8.2%2025 | 136/187 | 45/49 | 4.1% | 6.7% | 11.9% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 14.0% | 13.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 19.3%2023 | 77/170 | 8/46 | · | 19.1% | 22.7% | −3.3 ppsince 2013 | 11.4% | 21.8% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 69.5%2025 | 90/187 | 41/49 | 62.0% | 63.7% | 66.0% | +9.5 ppsince 2015 | 83.3% | 29.6% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 29.0%2025 | 93/187 | 7/49 | 36.4% | 34.9% | 32.3% | −7.9 ppsince 2015 | 12.9% | 65.5% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 15.4%2025 | 92/187 | 11/49 | 42.3% | 23.2% | 17.7% | −7.1 ppsince 2015 | 6.7% | 39.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 26.8%2025 | 29/187 | 14/49 | 14.8% | 24.6% | 26.0% | +3.1 ppsince 2015 | 23.7% | 22.4% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 57.7%2025 | 100/187 | 38/49 | 42.9% | 52.2% | 56.3% | +4.0 ppsince 2015 | 69.7% | 37.8% | 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
- Unemployment−0.6 pp3.5% in 2025
- Female unemployment−0.5 pp4.0% in 2025
- Youth unemployment−0.3 pp8.2% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate−3.3 pp19.3% in 2023
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−3.3 pp44.1% in 2025
- Employment rate−1.7 pp55.3% 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
Kyrgyzstan and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Kyrgyzstan. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Kyrgyzstan | China | Uzbekistan | Kazakhstan | Tajikistan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 2.9m2025 | 768m2025 | 14.6m2025 | 10.0m2025 | 2.6m2025 |
| Participation rate | 57.4%2025 | 64.6%2025 | 57.5%2025 | 67.8%2025 | 38.3%2025 |
| Women's participation | 44.1%2025 | 59.1%2025 | 41.2%2025 | 62.6%2025 | 21.9%2025 |
| Employment rate | 55.3%2025 | 61.6%2025 | 54.8%2025 | 64.5%2025 | 35.6%2025 |
| Unemployment | 3.5%2025 | 4.6%2025 | 4.6%2025 | 4.8%2025 | 6.9%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 4.0%2025 | 4.0%2025 | 6.6%2025 | 5.5%2025 | 4.0%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 8.2%2025 | 15.8%2025 | 11.4%2025 | 3.8%2025 | 14.6%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 19.3%2023 | — | — | 9.5%2016 | 41.3%2016 |
| Wage workers | 69.5%2025 | 62.3%2025 | 54.6%2025 | 73.9%2025 | 68.7%2025 |