Qatar: the labour market
Labour force is 2.2m (2025), 125th of 187 in the world and 18th of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa. Participation rate is 87.0% (2025), 1st of 187 in the world and 1st of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa. Women's participation is 61.9% (2025), 39th of 187 in the world and 2nd of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa.
Labour: Qatar 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 | 2.2m2025 | 125/187 | 18/23 | 407,864 | 1.2m | 2.1m | +25%since 2015 | 264m | 734m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 87.0%2025 | 1/187 | 1/23 | 82.6% | 86.6% | 87.1% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 47.4% | 61.0% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 61.9%2025 | 39/187 | 2/23 | 48.9% | 50.8% | 59.5% | +5.9 ppsince 2015 | 19.7% | 54.3% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 86.9%2025 | 1/187 | 1/23 | 81.9% | 86.2% | 87.0% | −0.2 ppsince 2015 | 43.7% | 58.3% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 0.1%2025 | 187/187 | 23/23 | 0.9% | 0.5% | 0.1% | ±0.0 ppsince 2015 | 7.8% | 4.4% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 0.4%2025 | 185/187 | 23/23 | 3.8% | 2.7% | 0.5% | −0.5 ppsince 2015 | 12.1% | 4.6% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 0.6%2025 | 186/187 | 23/23 | 2.7% | 1.3% | 0.5% | ±0.0 ppsince 2015 | 18.7% | 11.5% | 13.4% | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 99.2%2025 | 1/187 | 1/23 | 99.0% | 98.9% | 99.1% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 61.0% | 88.9% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 0.5%2025 | 187/187 | 23/23 | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.6% | +0.2 ppsince 2015 | 36.1% | 8.0% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 1.6%2025 | 167/187 | 18/23 | 2.6% | 1.5% | 1.3% | +0.4 ppsince 2015 | 21.7% | 2.9% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 38.0%2025 | 2/187 | 2/23 | 36.9% | 56.4% | 42.4% | −16.1 ppsince 2015 | 26.6% | 22.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 60.4%2025 | 92/187 | 13/23 | 60.5% | 42.2% | 56.2% | +15.7 ppsince 2015 | 51.7% | 74.9% | 50.6% |
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+5.9 pp61.9% in 2025
- Female unemployment−0.5 pp0.4% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Employment rate−0.2 pp86.9% in 2025
- Wage workers−0.3 pp99.2% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment+0.2 pp0.5% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
Qatar and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Qatar. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Qatar | Iran | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 2.2m2025 | 29.5m2025 | 18.4m2025 |
| Participation rate | 87.0%2025 | 41.0%2025 | 65.1%2025 |
| Women's participation | 61.9%2025 | 14.0%2025 | 33.6%2025 |
| Employment rate | 86.9%2025 | 37.6%2025 | 63.1%2025 |
| Unemployment | 0.1%2025 | 8.3%2025 | 3.0%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 0.4%2025 | 15.6%2025 | 9.7%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 0.6%2025 | 21.9%2025 | 10.0%2025 |
| Wage workers | 99.2%2025 | 57.1%2025 | 94.5%2025 |
| Vulnerable employment | 0.5%2025 | 39.5%2025 | 1.7%2025 |