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Labour · World Bank region

Labour in East Asia & Pacific: how the countries rank

Who works and who is looking for work, by ILO modelled estimates. 13 indicators for the 37 economies of East Asia & Pacific, ranked within the group; the group figure is the World Bank aggregate.

Labour force1.3bnEast Asia & Pacific, 2025 · world 3.7bnParticipation rate65.2%East Asia & Pacific, 2025 · world 61.0%Women's participation58.1%East Asia & Pacific, 2025 · world 48.9%Employment rate62.7%East Asia & Pacific, 2025 · world 58.1%Unemployment3.8%East Asia & Pacific, 2025 · world 4.8%Female unemployment3.4%East Asia & Pacific, 2025 · world 4.9%Youth unemployment12.5%East Asia & Pacific, 2025 · world 13.4%Youth NEET rate15.3%East Asia & Pacific, 2000
Labour force
East Asia & PacificWorldEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & CaribbeanMiddle East & North Africa
01.0bn2.0bn3.0bn4.0bn1995200020052010201520202025East Asia & Pacific1.3bnWorldEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & CaribbeanMiddle East & North Africa
Participation rate
East Asia & PacificWorldEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & CaribbeanMiddle East & North Africa
40%50%60%70%80%1995200020052010201520202025East Asia & Pacific65.2%WorldEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & CaribbeanMiddle East & North Africa
countries

All 37 economies, labour

Latest value and rank within the group (small figure). Click a column to sort; the country name opens its labour profile.

34 shown
CountryLabour forceParticipation rateWomen's participationEmployment rateUnemploymentFemale unemploymentYouth unemploymentYouth NEET rate
China768m#1 · 202564.6%#14 · 202559.1%#11 · 202561.6%#16 · 20254.6%#10 · 20254.0%#11 · 202515.8%#4 · 2025—
Indonesia147m#2 · 202568.0%#7 · 202553.7%#17 · 202565.8%#10 · 20253.2%#14 · 20253.0%#15 · 202513.0%#8 · 202521.6%#12 · 2023
Japan69.5m#3 · 202563.4%#17 · 202555.9%#15 · 202561.9%#15 · 20252.5%#20 · 20252.3%#20 · 20253.9%#24 · 20253.1%#28 · 2019
Vietnam57.0m#4 · 202572.8%#4 · 202568.6%#4 · 202571.7%#4 · 20251.5%#25 · 20251.4%#26 · 20256.2%#21 · 202510.3%#20 · 2024
Philippines52.2m#5 · 202561.4%#19 · 202550.5%#24 · 202560.0%#18 · 20252.2%#22 · 20252.5%#19 · 20257.0%#17 · 202516.5%#15 · 2024
Thailand40.9m#6 · 202566.7%#10 · 202559.0%#12 · 202566.2%#8 · 20250.8%#28 · 20250.8%#28 · 20254.5%#23 · 202512.4%#18 · 2025
South Korea29.9m#7 · 202564.4%#15 · 202556.8%#13 · 202562.6%#14 · 20252.7%#18 · 20252.7%#17 · 20256.7%#20 · 2025—
Myanmar22.9m#8 · 202555.1%#25 · 202540.9%#27 · 202553.4%#24 · 20253.0%#15 · 20253.5%#14 · 20259.8%#13 · 202515.0%#16 · 2020
Malaysia18.7m#9 · 202566.1%#12 · 202551.6%#20 · 202563.6%#13 · 20253.8%#12 · 20253.9%#12 · 202512.0%#10 · 202510.2%#21 · 2022
North Korea17.7m#10 · 202582.2%#3 · 202577.7%#2 · 202579.2%#3 · 20253.5%#13 · 20253.7%#13 · 20257.9%#16 · 2025—
Australia15.1m#11 · 202566.5%#11 · 202562.5%#8 · 202563.8%#12 · 20254.1%#11 · 20254.0%#10 · 20259.6%#14 · 20258.4%#24 · 2025
Cambodia10.4m#12 · 202582.4%#2 · 202577.4%#3 · 202582.2%#2 · 20250.3%#29 · 20250.2%#29 · 20250.7%#29 · 20259.7%#22 · 2025
Hong Kong3.8m#13 · 202556.4%#24 · 202551.8%#19 · 202554.8%#22 · 20252.8%#17 · 20252.3%#21 · 20259.0%#15 · 20256.0%#26 · 2025
Singapore3.8m#14 · 202569.7%#6 · 202563.6%#6 · 202567.7%#5 · 20252.8%#16 · 20252.9%#16 · 20256.8%#18 · 20256.5%#25 · 2025
Papua New Guinea3.7m#15 · 202552.1%#27 · 202550.8%#23 · 202550.7%#25 · 20252.6%#19 · 20252.1%#22 · 20253.8%#25 · 202527.7%#8 · 2022
Laos3.7m#16 · 202566.1%#13 · 202561.6%#10 · 202565.3%#11 · 20251.2%#27 · 20250.9%#27 · 20252.4%#28 · 202522.5%#11 · 2022
New Zealand3.1m#17 · 202570.4%#5 · 202566.1%#5 · 202566.8%#6 · 20255.1%#7 · 20255.3%#7 · 202514.4%#6 · 202512.8%#17 · 2024
Mongolia1.5m#18 · 202559.7%#20 · 202551.5%#21 · 202556.6%#20 · 20255.2%#6 · 20254.5%#9 · 202511.7%#11 · 20259.0%#23 · 2025
Timor-Leste635,489#19 · 202567.0%#9 · 202561.7%#9 · 202565.9%#9 · 20251.6%#24 · 20251.6%#24 · 20253.7%#26 · 202529.1%#7 · 2022
Solomon Islands448,502#20 · 202584.3%#1 · 202582.3%#1 · 202583.1%#1 · 20251.4%#26 · 20251.4%#25 · 20252.8%#27 · 2025—
Macao401,572#21 · 202567.8%#8 · 202563.1%#7 · 202566.3%#7 · 20252.3%#21 · 20252.1%#23 · 20256.8%#19 · 20255.0%#27 · 2016
Fiji390,290#22 · 202557.2%#22 · 202538.5%#28 · 202554.1%#23 · 20255.3%#4 · 20256.9%#4 · 202515.2%#5 · 202520.8%#13 · 2024
Brunei237,763#23 · 202564.2%#16 · 202554.4%#16 · 202560.8%#17 · 20255.3%#5 · 20255.3%#8 · 202518.2%#3 · 202518.4%#14 · 2025
New Caledonia131,488#24 · 202556.4%#23 · 202551.1%#22 · 202550.1%#26 · 202511.2%#2 · 202512.1%#2 · 202533.1%#2 · 202524.7%#10 · 2023
Vanuatu120,833#25 · 202558.1%#21 · 202553.3%#18 · 202555.2%#21 · 20255.1%#8 · 20256.2%#5 · 202511.3%#12 · 202529.3%#6 · 2025
French Polynesia120,628#26 · 202552.4%#26 · 202546.6%#25 · 202546.3%#28 · 202511.7%#1 · 202512.5%#1 · 202536.6%#1 · 2025—
Guam78,007#27 · 202562.3%#18 · 202556.5%#14 · 202558.8%#19 · 20255.6%#3 · 20255.4%#6 · 202513.8%#7 · 2025—
Samoa57,776#28 · 202542.5%#29 · 202530.7%#29 · 202540.4%#29 · 20255.0%#9 · 20257.3%#3 · 202513.0%#9 · 202530.1%#5 · 2022
Tonga33,628#29 · 202549.8%#28 · 202542.3%#26 · 202548.8%#27 · 20252.0%#23 · 20252.5%#18 · 20256.0%#22 · 202525.6%#9 · 2023
Kiribati———————35.4%#3 · 2023
Marshall Islands———————40.0%#2 · 2021
Nauru———————50.4%#1 · 2024
Palau———————11.3%#19 · 2023
Tuvalu———————34.3%#4 · 2022
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)Ranks count group members with a value in the recent window.
within the group

Highest and lowest, indicator by indicator

Labour force29 countries
  1. 1China768m2025
  2. 2Indonesia147m2025
  3. 3Japan69.5m2025
Lowest
  1. 29Tonga33,6282025
  2. 28Samoa57,7762025
  3. 27Guam78,0072025
Median country 3.7m · group 1.3bn
Participation rate29 countries
  1. 1Solomon Islands84.3%2025
  2. 2Cambodia82.4%2025
  3. 3North Korea82.2%2025
Lowest
  1. 29Samoa42.5%2025
  2. 28Tonga49.8%2025
  3. 27Papua New Guinea52.1%2025
Median country 64.4% · group 65.2%
Women's participation29 countries
  1. 1Solomon Islands82.3%2025
  2. 2North Korea77.7%2025
  3. 3Cambodia77.4%2025
Lowest
  1. 29Samoa30.7%2025
  2. 28Fiji38.5%2025
  3. 27Myanmar40.9%2025
Median country 55.9% · group 58.1%
Employment rate29 countries
  1. 1Solomon Islands83.1%2025
  2. 2Cambodia82.2%2025
  3. 3North Korea79.2%2025
Lowest
  1. 29Samoa40.4%2025
  2. 28French Polynesia46.3%2025
  3. 27Tonga48.8%2025
Median country 61.9% · group 62.7%
Unemployment29 countries
  1. 1French Polynesia11.7%2025
  2. 2New Caledonia11.2%2025
  3. 3Guam5.6%2025
Lowest
  1. 29Cambodia0.3%2025
  2. 28Thailand0.8%2025
  3. 27Laos1.2%2025
Median country 3.0% · group 3.8%
Female unemployment29 countries
  1. 1French Polynesia12.5%2025
  2. 2New Caledonia12.1%2025
  3. 3Samoa7.3%2025
Lowest
  1. 29Cambodia0.2%2025
  2. 28Thailand0.8%2025
  3. 27Laos0.9%2025
Median country 3.0% · group 3.4%
Youth unemployment29 countries
  1. 1French Polynesia36.6%2025
  2. 2New Caledonia33.1%2025
  3. 3Brunei18.2%2025
Lowest
  1. 29Cambodia0.7%2025
  2. 28Laos2.4%2025
  3. 27Solomon Islands2.8%2025
Median country 9.0% · group 12.5%
Youth NEET rate28 countries
  1. 1Nauru50.4%2024
  2. 2Marshall Islands40.0%2021
  3. 3Kiribati35.4%2023
Lowest
  1. 28Japan3.1%2019
  2. 27Macao5.0%2016
  3. 26Hong Kong6.0%2025
Median country 17.4% · group 15.3%
Wage workers29 countries
  1. 1Macao93.2%2025
  2. 2Brunei92.7%2025
  3. 3Hong Kong92.3%2025
Lowest
  1. 29Papua New Guinea21.3%2025
  2. 28Laos22.9%2025
  3. 27Timor-Leste25.1%2025
Median country 62.3% · group 61.0%
Vulnerable employment29 countries
  1. 1Laos76.4%2025
  2. 2Papua New Guinea71.2%2025
  3. 3Solomon Islands68.7%2025
Lowest
  1. 29Macao3.3%2025
  2. 28Brunei4.5%2025
  3. 27Hong Kong5.8%2025
Median country 33.6% · group 35.3%
Jobs in agriculture29 countries
  1. 1Laos68.6%2025
  2. 2North Korea54.1%2025
  3. 3Timor-Leste46.0%2025
Lowest
  1. 29Singapore0.1%2025
  2. 28Hong Kong0.2%2025
  3. 27Macao0.4%2025
Median country 23.6% · group 21.7%
Jobs in industry29 countries
  1. 1Vietnam34.8%2025
  2. 2China31.8%2025
  3. 3Cambodia28.9%2025
Lowest
  1. 29Timor-Leste3.8%2025
  2. 28Laos7.4%2025
  3. 27Solomon Islands7.6%2025
Median country 19.9% · group 28.5%
Jobs in services29 countries
  1. 1Macao88.6%2025
  2. 2Singapore85.9%2025
  3. 3Hong Kong85.8%2025
Lowest
  1. 29North Korea23.5%2025
  2. 28Laos24.0%2025
  3. 27Myanmar36.9%2025
Median country 55.3% · group 49.9%
more

Other topics in East Asia & Pacific

East Asia & Pacific: overview
PopulationEconomyPrices & public financeTrade & investmentAid, poverty & equalityEducationHealthDigital & energy accessEnvironment