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Labour · World Bank region

Labour in Latin America & Caribbean: how the countries rank

Who works and who is looking for work, by ILO modelled estimates. 13 indicators for the 42 economies of Latin America & Caribbean, ranked within the group; the group figure is the World Bank aggregate.

Labour force325mgroup, 2025 · world 3.7bnParticipation rate62.7%group, 2025 · world 61.0%Women's participation51.4%group, 2025 · world 48.9%Employment rate59.3%group, 2025 · world 58.1%Unemployment5.5%group, 2025 · world 4.8%Female unemployment6.5%group, 2025 · world 4.9%Youth unemployment12.2%group, 2025 · world 13.4%Youth NEET rate18.1%group, 2025
Labour force
Latin America & CaribbeanWorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaMiddle East & North Africa
01.0bn2.0bn3.0bn4.0bn1995200020052010201520202025Latin America & Caribbean325mWorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaMiddle East & North Africa
Participation rate
Latin America & CaribbeanWorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaMiddle East & North Africa
40%50%60%70%80%1995200020052010201520202025Latin America & Caribbean62.7%WorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaMiddle East & North Africa
countries

All 42 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
Brazil108m#1 · 202563.1%#16 · 202553.4%#13 · 202559.4%#15 · 20256.0%#17 · 20257.3%#16 · 202514.0%#17 · 202518.7%#16 · 2025
Mexico61.7m#2 · 202561.6%#20 · 202547.5%#22 · 202560.0%#14 · 20252.7%#29 · 20252.7%#30 · 20255.7%#28 · 202516.2%#21 · 2025
Colombia27.1m#3 · 202563.4%#15 · 202551.6%#18 · 202558.1%#16 · 20258.3%#10 · 202510.5%#8 · 202517.7%#15 · 202522.0%#10 · 2025
Argentina22.4m#4 · 202561.9%#19 · 202552.5%#16 · 202557.5%#18 · 20257.1%#13 · 20258.1%#13 · 202519.2%#13 · 202515.2%#24 · 2025
Peru19.2m#5 · 202572.9%#3 · 202565.0%#3 · 202569.1%#2 · 20255.1%#19 · 20255.8%#21 · 20259.5%#23 · 202522.8%#8 · 2022
Venezuela11.1m#6 · 202551.9%#30 · 202537.1%#30 · 202549.2%#28 · 20255.3%#18 · 20255.8%#20 · 202510.4%#21 · 202537.1%#1 · 2020
Chile10.3m#7 · 202562.3%#17 · 202552.9%#14 · 202556.7%#19 · 20259.0%#7 · 20259.6%#10 · 202521.6%#7 · 202513.4%#26 · 2025
Ecuador9.0m#8 · 202564.5%#13 · 202552.4%#17 · 202562.4%#7 · 20253.3%#25 · 20254.1%#25 · 20258.2%#26 · 202517.7%#19 · 2025
Guatemala7.7m#9 · 202559.6%#21 · 202538.3%#29 · 202558.1%#17 · 20252.6%#30 · 20253.3%#29 · 20254.8%#30 · 202522.3%#9 · 2025
Bolivia7.0m#10 · 202578.6%#1 · 202572.9%#1 · 202576.3%#1 · 20253.0%#28 · 20253.3%#28 · 20255.0%#29 · 20258.0%#28 · 2025
Dominican Republic5.5m#11 · 202564.8%#11 · 202553.7%#12 · 202561.5%#9 · 20255.1%#20 · 20257.7%#15 · 202512.3%#18 · 202524.7%#7 · 2025
Haiti5.3m#12 · 202563.9%#14 · 202558.3%#9 · 202554.4%#22 · 202514.9%#2 · 202518.0%#1 · 202537.5%#2 · 2025—
Cuba4.9m#13 · 202552.2%#29 · 202540.0%#27 · 202551.3%#26 · 20251.7%#31 · 20251.9%#31 · 20254.3%#31 · 2025—
Honduras4.3m#14 · 202556.6%#25 · 202539.6%#28 · 202553.8%#24 · 20254.9%#22 · 20256.4%#18 · 20258.5%#24 · 202529.0%#3 · 2025
Paraguay3.5m#15 · 202570.2%#4 · 202559.0%#8 · 202566.9%#5 · 20254.8%#23 · 20256.1%#19 · 202511.7%#19 · 202518.6%#17 · 2017
Nicaragua3.3m#16 · 202566.1%#9 · 202551.3%#19 · 202562.7%#6 · 20255.0%#21 · 20255.2%#22 · 20259.5%#22 · 2025—
El Salvador3.0m#17 · 202562.1%#18 · 202549.1%#20 · 202560.1%#13 · 20253.3%#26 · 20253.6%#27 · 20257.8%#27 · 202519.1%#15 · 2025
Costa Rica2.4m#18 · 202557.7%#24 · 202546.0%#25 · 202553.7%#25 · 20256.8%#14 · 20257.8%#14 · 202519.9%#9 · 202519.4%#14 · 2025
Panama2.3m#19 · 202566.3%#8 · 202554.9%#11 · 202560.8%#10 · 20258.4%#9 · 202510.4%#9 · 202519.8%#10 · 202515.1%#25 · 2025
Uruguay1.8m#20 · 202565.0%#10 · 202557.3%#10 · 202560.1%#12 · 20257.5%#12 · 20258.7%#12 · 202525.1%#4 · 202512.6%#27 · 2025
Jamaica1.6m#21 · 202569.6%#5 · 202563.0%#4 · 202567.3%#3 · 20253.3%#27 · 20254.3%#24 · 202510.8%#20 · 202519.7%#12 · 2023
Puerto Rico1.2m#22 · 202542.8%#31 · 202536.9%#31 · 202540.2%#31 · 20256.0%#16 · 20255.1%#23 · 202514.0%#16 · 202519.5%#13 · 2020
Trinidad and Tobago651,715#23 · 202557.8%#23 · 202547.8%#21 · 202555.8%#20 · 20253.3%#24 · 20253.9%#26 · 20258.2%#25 · 202515.8%#22 · 2024
Guyana326,682#24 · 202555.0%#26 · 202547.4%#23 · 202548.4%#29 · 202512.0%#3 · 202513.4%#4 · 202524.9%#5 · 202531.3%#2 · 2024
Suriname257,128#25 · 202553.8%#28 · 202544.9%#26 · 202549.6%#27 · 20257.8%#11 · 202510.8%#6 · 202525.4%#3 · 202518.2%#18 · 2016
Bahamas245,159#26 · 202573.8%#2 · 202570.7%#2 · 202567.0%#4 · 20259.2%#6 · 20259.2%#11 · 202519.2%#12 · 2025—
Belize184,286#27 · 202559.1%#22 · 202546.5%#24 · 202553.9%#23 · 20258.9%#8 · 202513.5%#3 · 202519.3%#11 · 202524.9%#6 · 2019
Barbados151,620#28 · 202564.7%#12 · 202561.0%#6 · 202560.5%#11 · 20256.5%#15 · 20257.0%#17 · 202518.5%#14 · 202529.0%#4 · 2016
Saint Lucia101,771#29 · 202568.3%#6 · 202562.0%#5 · 202561.8%#8 · 20259.5%#5 · 202510.7%#7 · 202520.3%#8 · 202525.5%#5 · 2025
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines53,688#30 · 202567.9%#7 · 202559.2%#7 · 202555.7%#21 · 202518.0%#1 · 202516.0%#2 · 202541.9%#1 · 2025—
US Virgin Islands47,132#31 · 202554.4%#27 · 202552.8%#15 · 202548.1%#30 · 202511.4%#4 · 202512.2%#5 · 202524.2%#6 · 2025—
Antigua and Barbuda———————15.8%#23 · 2023
Curaçao———————17.5%#20 · 2020
Grenada———————20.1%#11 · 2023
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 force31 countries
  1. 1Brazil108m2025
  2. 2Mexico61.7m2025
  3. 3Colombia27.1m2025
Lowest
  1. 31US Virgin Islands47,1322025
  2. 30Saint Vincent and the Grenadines53,6882025
  3. 29Saint Lucia101,7712025
Median country 3.3m · group 325m
Participation rate31 countries
  1. 1Bolivia78.6%2025
  2. 2Bahamas73.8%2025
  3. 3Peru72.9%2025
Lowest
  1. 31Puerto Rico42.8%2025
  2. 30Venezuela51.9%2025
  3. 29Cuba52.2%2025
Median country 63.1% · group 62.7%
Women's participation31 countries
  1. 1Bolivia72.9%2025
  2. 2Bahamas70.7%2025
  3. 3Peru65.0%2025
Lowest
  1. 31Puerto Rico36.9%2025
  2. 30Venezuela37.1%2025
  3. 29Guatemala38.3%2025
Median country 52.5% · group 51.4%
Employment rate31 countries
  1. 1Bolivia76.3%2025
  2. 2Peru69.1%2025
  3. 3Jamaica67.3%2025
Lowest
  1. 31Puerto Rico40.2%2025
  2. 30US Virgin Islands48.1%2025
  3. 29Guyana48.4%2025
Median country 58.1% · group 59.3%
Unemployment31 countries
  1. 1Saint Vincent and the Grenadines18.0%2025
  2. 2Haiti14.9%2025
  3. 3Guyana12.0%2025
Lowest
  1. 31Cuba1.7%2025
  2. 30Guatemala2.6%2025
  3. 29Mexico2.7%2025
Median country 6.0% · group 5.5%
Female unemployment31 countries
  1. 1Haiti18.0%2025
  2. 2Saint Vincent and the Grenadines16.0%2025
  3. 3Belize13.5%2025
Lowest
  1. 31Cuba1.9%2025
  2. 30Mexico2.7%2025
  3. 29Guatemala3.3%2025
Median country 7.3% · group 6.5%
Youth unemployment31 countries
  1. 1Saint Vincent and the Grenadines41.9%2025
  2. 2Haiti37.5%2025
  3. 3Suriname25.4%2025
Lowest
  1. 31Cuba4.3%2025
  2. 30Guatemala4.8%2025
  3. 29Bolivia5.0%2025
Median country 14.0% · group 12.2%
Youth NEET rate28 countries
  1. 1Venezuela37.1%2020
  2. 2Guyana31.3%2024
  3. 3Honduras29.0%2025
Lowest
  1. 28Bolivia8.0%2025
  2. 27Uruguay12.6%2025
  3. 26Chile13.4%2025
Median country 19.3% · group 18.1%
Wage workers31 countries
  1. 1US Virgin Islands90.9%2025
  2. 2Puerto Rico87.4%2025
  3. 3Bahamas82.9%2025
Lowest
  1. 31Haiti23.2%2025
  2. 30Bolivia33.7%2025
  3. 29Ecuador47.7%2025
Median country 68.9% · group 64.4%
Vulnerable employment31 countries
  1. 1Haiti76.0%2025
  2. 2Bolivia62.7%2025
  3. 3Ecuador50.1%2025
Lowest
  1. 31US Virgin Islands5.5%2025
  2. 30Puerto Rico10.3%2025
  3. 29Bahamas15.9%2025
Median country 26.1% · group 31.5%
Jobs in agriculture31 countries
  1. 1Haiti46.6%2025
  2. 2Ecuador32.5%2025
  3. 3Nicaragua30.5%2025
Lowest
  1. 31Bahamas0.8%2025
  2. 30Puerto Rico1.1%2025
  3. 29Barbados1.2%2025
Median country 11.5% · group 12.7%
Jobs in industry31 countries
  1. 1Guyana31.1%2025
  2. 2Suriname26.1%2025
  3. 3Mexico24.5%2025
Lowest
  1. 31Haiti8.8%2025
  2. 30Puerto Rico14.7%2025
  3. 29Bahamas14.8%2025
Median country 18.8% · group 20.5%
Jobs in services31 countries
  1. 1Bahamas84.4%2025
  2. 2Puerto Rico84.1%2025
  3. 3Barbados82.6%2025
Lowest
  1. 31Haiti44.6%2025
  2. 30Guatemala48.2%2025
  3. 29Ecuador50.9%2025
Median country 68.5% · group 66.8%
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