Labour · Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan · Lower-middle income
Pakistan: the labour market
Labour force is 85.2m (2025), 7th of 187 in the world and 1st of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa. Participation rate is 52.3% (2025), 149th of 187 in the world and 9th of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa. Women's participation is 24.0% (2025), 171st of 187 in the world and 11th of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa.
Labour force
Pakistan
Participation rate
PakistanMiddle East, North Africa, A…Lower-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Pakistan in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan; 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 | 85.2m2025 | 7/187 | 1/23 | 44.3m | 61.6m | 75.3m | +23%since 2015 | 264m | 1.2bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 52.3%2025 | 149/187 | 9/23 | 50.4% | 51.0% | 51.6% | +0.3 ppsince 2015 | 47.4% | 58.2% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 24.0%2025 | 171/187 | 11/23 | 16.1% | 22.0% | 23.4% | +0.1 ppsince 2015 | 19.7% | 39.2% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 49.5%2025 | 146/187 | 9/23 | 50.1% | 50.7% | 48.5% | −0.7 ppsince 2015 | 43.7% | 55.6% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 5.4%2025 | 88/187 | 15/23 | 0.6% | 0.7% | 6.0% | +1.9 ppsince 2015 | 7.8% | 4.5% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 6.9%2025 | 74/187 | 17/23 | 0.3% | 0.6% | 7.2% | +0.8 ppsince 2015 | 12.1% | 4.9% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 9.6%2025 | 120/187 | 18/23 | 1.0% | 1.3% | 10.7% | +2.9 ppsince 2015 | 18.7% | 13.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 28.5%2025 | 38/170 | 5/16 | · | 31.1% | 42.6% | −1.9 ppsince 2015 | 32.2% | 21.8% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 43.0%2025 | 138/187 | 22/23 | 35.1% | 39.1% | 40.9% | +3.6 ppsince 2015 | 61.0% | 29.6% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 55.5%2025 | 48/187 | 2/23 | 63.8% | 59.8% | 57.6% | −3.7 ppsince 2015 | 36.1% | 65.5% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 36.2%2025 | 45/187 | 2/23 | 41.7% | 42.7% | 38.3% | −4.8 ppsince 2015 | 21.7% | 39.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 25.3%2025 | 42/187 | 11/23 | 21.9% | 22.6% | 24.8% | +1.2 ppsince 2015 | 26.6% | 22.4% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 38.5%2025 | 158/187 | 22/23 | 36.4% | 34.8% | 36.9% | +3.5 ppsince 2015 | 51.7% | 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
- Women's participation+0.1 pp24.0% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate−1.9 pp28.5% in 2025
- Wage workers+3.6 pp43.0% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment−3.7 pp55.5% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Employment rate−0.7 pp49.5% in 2025
- Unemployment+1.9 pp5.4% in 2025
- Female unemployment+0.8 pp6.9% in 2025
- Youth unemployment+2.9 pp9.6% 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
Pakistan and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Pakistan. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Pakistan | India | China | Iran | Afghanistan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 85.2m2025 | 618m2025 | 768m2025 | 29.5m2025 | 9.4m2025 |
| Participation rate | 52.3%2025 | 55.7%2025 | 64.6%2025 | 41.0%2025 | 37.5%2025 |
| Women's participation | 24.0%2025 | 32.4%2025 | 59.1%2025 | 14.0%2025 | 5.1%2025 |
| Employment rate | 49.5%2025 | 53.3%2025 | 61.6%2025 | 37.6%2025 | 32.5%2025 |
| Unemployment | 5.4%2025 | 4.2%2025 | 4.6%2025 | 8.3%2025 | 13.4%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 6.9%2025 | 4.1%2025 | 4.0%2025 | 15.6%2025 | 25.0%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 9.6%2025 | 16.0%2025 | 15.8%2025 | 21.9%2025 | 16.8%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 28.5%2025 | 25.6%2025 | — | 24.3%2024 | 43.8%2021 |
| Wage workers | 43.0%2025 | 25.1%2025 | 62.3%2025 | 57.1%2025 | 16.6%2025 |