Labour · Latin America & Caribbean · Upper-middle income
Paraguay: the labour market
Labour force is 3.5m (2025), 101st of 187 in the world and 15th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Participation rate is 70.2% (2025), 28th of 187 in the world and 4th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Women's participation is 59.0% (2025), 55th of 187 in the world and 8th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean.
Labour force
Paraguay
Participation rate
ParaguayLatin America & CaribbeanUpper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Paraguay 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 | 3.5m2025 | 101/187 | 15/31 | 2.2m | 2.6m | 3.3m | +21%since 2015 | 325m | 1.5bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 70.2%2025 | 28/187 | 4/31 | 69.2% | 67.7% | 70.1% | +2.3 ppsince 2015 | 62.7% | 62.7% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 59.0%2025 | 55/187 | 8/31 | 51.7% | 53.0% | 57.1% | +4.2 ppsince 2015 | 51.4% | 53.4% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 66.9%2025 | 28/187 | 5/31 | 63.9% | 64.6% | 64.8% | +2.0 ppsince 2015 | 59.3% | 59.5% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 4.8%2025 | 106/187 | 23/31 | 7.6% | 4.6% | 7.5% | +0.2 ppsince 2015 | 5.5% | 5.2% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 6.1%2025 | 90/187 | 19/31 | 8.9% | 6.0% | 10.0% | +1.2 ppsince 2015 | 6.5% | 5.1% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 11.7%2025 | 102/187 | 19/31 | 14.0% | 10.6% | 17.2% | +0.8 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 15.6% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 18.6%2017 | 82/170 | 17/28 | 21.5%2001 | 19.5% | · | −1.0 ppsince 2007 | 18.1% | 17.3% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 58.7%2025 | 113/187 | 23/31 | 43.5% | 52.7% | 54.5% | +2.5 ppsince 2015 | 64.4% | 61.3% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 36.1%2025 | 75/187 | 11/31 | 52.8% | 42.1% | 40.7% | −2.7 ppsince 2015 | 31.5% | 34.8% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 16.0%2025 | 90/187 | 10/31 | 32.5% | 25.6% | 21.3% | −3.7 ppsince 2015 | 12.7% | 19.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 19.0%2025 | 92/187 | 15/31 | 16.0% | 19.2% | 19.1% | −0.8 ppsince 2015 | 20.5% | 27.7% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 65.1%2025 | 79/187 | 21/31 | 51.5% | 55.2% | 59.6% | +4.5 ppsince 2015 | 66.8% | 52.4% | 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+4.2 pp59.0% in 2025
- Employment rate+2.0 pp66.9% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate−1.0 pp18.6% in 2017
- Wage workers+2.5 pp58.7% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Unemployment+0.2 pp4.8% in 2025
- Female unemployment+1.2 pp6.1% in 2025
- Youth unemployment+0.8 pp11.7% 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
Paraguay and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Paraguay. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Paraguay | Brazil | Argentina | Bolivia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 3.5m2025 | 108m2025 | 22.4m2025 | 7.0m2025 |
| Participation rate | 70.2%2025 | 63.1%2025 | 61.9%2025 | 78.6%2025 |
| Women's participation | 59.0%2025 | 53.4%2025 | 52.5%2025 | 72.9%2025 |
| Employment rate | 66.9%2025 | 59.4%2025 | 57.5%2025 | 76.3%2025 |
| Unemployment | 4.8%2025 | 6.0%2025 | 7.1%2025 | 3.0%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 6.1%2025 | 7.3%2025 | 8.1%2025 | 3.3%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 11.7%2025 | 14.0%2025 | 19.2%2025 | 5.0%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 18.6%2017 | 18.7%2025 | 15.2%2025 | 8.0%2025 |
| Wage workers | 58.7%2025 | 69.7%2025 | 74.4%2025 | 33.7%2025 |