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Labour · Europe & Central Asia · Lower-middle income
Tajikistan: the labour market
Labour force is 2.6m (2025), 119th of 187 in the world and 32nd of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Participation rate is 38.3% (2025), 180th of 187 in the world and 49th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Women's participation is 21.9% (2025), 174th of 187 in the world and 49th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia.
Labour force
Tajikistan
Participation rate
TajikistanEurope & Central AsiaLower-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Tajikistan 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 | 2.6m2025 | 119/187 | 32/49 | 2.0m | 2.0m | 2.3m | +20%since 2015 | 429m | 1.2bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 38.3%2025 | 180/187 | 49/49 | 55.0% | 42.1% | 36.8% | −1.8 ppsince 2015 | 58.2% | 58.2% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 21.9%2025 | 174/187 | 49/49 | 44.4% | 28.4% | 20.5% | −2.0 ppsince 2015 | 51.1% | 39.2% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 35.6%2025 | 175/187 | 49/49 | 52.7% | 39.1% | 34.0% | −1.7 ppsince 2015 | 55.1% | 55.6% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 6.9%2025 | 62/187 | 16/49 | 4.2% | 7.0% | 7.6% | −0.1 ppsince 2015 | 5.4% | 4.5% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 4.0%2025 | 131/187 | 39/49 | 3.6% | 4.3% | 4.2% | −0.1 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.9% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 14.6%2025 | 81/187 | 24/49 | 6.1% | 13.1% | 15.7% | +0.9 ppsince 2015 | 14.0% | 13.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 41.3%2016 | 10/170 | 2/46 | · | 42.2%2009 | · | +9.4 ppsince 2003 | 11.4% | 21.8% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 68.7%2025 | 93/187 | 42/49 | 65.2% | 65.2% | 67.4% | +2.5 ppsince 2015 | 83.3% | 29.6% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 28.0%2025 | 96/187 | 9/49 | 27.7% | 31.3% | 29.0% | −2.3 ppsince 2015 | 12.9% | 65.5% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 43.3%2025 | 34/187 | 2/49 | 59.3% | 52.4% | 46.7% | −5.2 ppsince 2015 | 6.7% | 39.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 17.7%2025 | 114/187 | 39/49 | 15.8% | 15.7% | 15.8% | +2.1 ppsince 2015 | 23.7% | 22.4% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 39.1%2025 | 157/187 | 48/49 | 24.9% | 31.9% | 37.5% | +3.1 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−0.1 pp6.9% in 2025
- Female unemployment−0.1 pp4.0% in 2025
- Wage workers+2.5 pp68.7% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment−2.3 pp28.0% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−2.0 pp21.9% in 2025
- Employment rate−1.7 pp35.6% in 2025
- Youth unemployment+0.9 pp14.6% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate+9.4 pp41.3% in 2016
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Tajikistan and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Tajikistan. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Tajikistan | China | Afghanistan | Uzbekistan | Kyrgyzstan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 2.6m2025 | 768m2025 | 9.4m2025 | 14.6m2025 | 2.9m2025 |
| Participation rate | 38.3%2025 | 64.6%2025 | 37.5%2025 | 57.5%2025 | 57.4%2025 |
| Women's participation | 21.9%2025 | 59.1%2025 | 5.1%2025 | 41.2%2025 | 44.1%2025 |
| Employment rate | 35.6%2025 | 61.6%2025 | 32.5%2025 | 54.8%2025 | 55.3%2025 |
| Unemployment | 6.9%2025 | 4.6%2025 | 13.4%2025 | 4.6%2025 | 3.5%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 4.0%2025 | 4.0%2025 | 25.0%2025 | 6.6%2025 | 4.0%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 14.6%2025 | 15.8%2025 | 16.8%2025 | 11.4%2025 | 8.2%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 41.3%2016 | — | 43.8%2021 | — | 19.3%2023 |
| Wage workers | 68.7%2025 | 62.3%2025 | 16.6%2025 | 54.6%2025 | 69.5%2025 |