World 8.2bn peopleGDP $118tnLife expectancy 73.5 yrsOnline 73.6%
NotesAdvertise
World Report nowcountries in numbers
World Report now
  1. Home
  2. Rankings
  3. Labour
  4. Middle East & North Africa
Labour · World Bank region

Labour in Middle East & North Africa: how the countries rank

Who works and who is looking for work, by ILO modelled estimates. 13 indicators for the 23 economies of Middle East & North Africa, ranked within the group; the group figure is the World Bank aggregate.

Labour force264mgroup, 2025 · world 3.7bnParticipation rate47.4%group, 2025 · world 61.0%Women's participation19.7%group, 2025 · world 48.9%Employment rate43.7%group, 2025 · world 58.1%Unemployment7.8%group, 2025 · world 4.8%Female unemployment12.1%group, 2025 · world 4.9%Youth unemployment18.7%group, 2025 · world 13.4%Youth NEET rate32.2%group, 2021
Labour force
Middle East & North AfricaWorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & Caribbean
01.0bn2.0bn3.0bn4.0bn1995200020052010201520202025Middle East & North Africa264mWorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & Caribbean
Participation rate
Middle East & North AfricaWorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & Caribbean
40%50%60%70%80%1995200020052010201520202025Middle East & North Africa47.4%WorldEast Asia & PacificEurope & Central AsiaLatin America & Caribbean
countries

All 23 economies, labour

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

23 shown
CountryLabour forceParticipation rateWomen's participationEmployment rateUnemploymentFemale unemploymentYouth unemploymentYouth NEET rate
Pakistan85.2m#1 · 202552.3%#9 · 202524.0%#11 · 202549.5%#9 · 20255.4%#15 · 20256.9%#17 · 20259.6%#18 · 202528.5%#5 · 2025
Egypt36.1m#2 · 202544.6%#13 · 202518.5%#16 · 202541.5%#10 · 20256.8%#14 · 202515.3%#12 · 202518.3%#13 · 202523.8%#9 · 2024
Iran29.5m#3 · 202541.0%#17 · 202514.0%#19 · 202537.6%#15 · 20258.3%#13 · 202515.6%#11 · 202521.9%#11 · 202524.3%#8 · 2024
Saudi Arabia18.4m#4 · 202565.1%#7 · 202533.6%#7 · 202563.1%#7 · 20253.0%#18 · 20259.7%#16 · 202510.0%#17 · 202516.4%#13 · 2025
Algeria13.6m#5 · 202540.8%#18 · 202514.1%#18 · 202536.0%#16 · 202511.6%#10 · 202520.6%#9 · 202529.4%#9 · 202520.9%#12 · 2017
Morocco12.6m#6 · 202543.9%#14 · 202519.7%#13 · 202540.0%#11 · 20259.0%#12 · 202510.6%#15 · 202521.9%#12 · 2025—
Iraq12.5m#7 · 202541.5%#16 · 202510.9%#21 · 202535.1%#17 · 202515.5%#6 · 202530.1%#4 · 202532.0%#8 · 202536.9%#3 · 2021
Afghanistan9.4m#8 · 202537.5%#20 · 20255.1%#22 · 202532.5%#20 · 202513.4%#9 · 202525.0%#7 · 202516.8%#14 · 202543.8%#2 · 2021
Yemen8.2m#9 · 202533.1%#22 · 20254.7%#23 · 202527.4%#22 · 202517.3%#4 · 202530.3%#3 · 202532.6%#7 · 2025—
United Arab Emirates7.6m#10 · 202578.6%#2 · 202553.0%#4 · 202576.9%#2 · 20252.2%#21 · 20254.2%#19 · 20256.5%#20 · 20257.5%#16 · 2025
Syria6.8m#11 · 202536.9%#21 · 202512.7%#20 · 202531.9%#21 · 202513.6%#8 · 202526.1%#5 · 202533.1%#6 · 2025—
Israel4.8m#12 · 202565.5%#6 · 202562.3%#1 · 202563.2%#6 · 20253.5%#16 · 20253.4%#21 · 20256.0%#21 · 202515.3%#14 · 2024
Tunisia4.3m#13 · 202545.2%#11 · 202526.5%#10 · 202538.4%#14 · 202515.1%#7 · 202520.4%#10 · 202538.1%#4 · 202522.6%#11 · 2023
Jordan3.2m#14 · 202540.1%#19 · 202516.0%#17 · 202533.4%#19 · 202516.5%#5 · 202523.3%#8 · 202538.9%#3 · 202529.4%#4 · 2024
Kuwait2.9m#15 · 202573.4%#3 · 202547.2%#5 · 202571.8%#3 · 20252.2%#20 · 20256.0%#18 · 202515.1%#15 · 2025—
Oman2.8m#16 · 202568.4%#5 · 202530.0%#9 · 202566.2%#5 · 20253.3%#17 · 202511.1%#14 · 202513.9%#16 · 202525.5%#7 · 2022
Libya2.6m#17 · 202548.0%#10 · 202533.0%#8 · 202539.0%#12 · 202518.8%#3 · 202525.2%#6 · 202550.1%#2 · 2025—
Qatar2.2m#18 · 202587.0%#1 · 202561.9%#2 · 202586.9%#1 · 20250.1%#23 · 20250.4%#23 · 20250.6%#23 · 2025—
Lebanon1.8m#19 · 202343.4%#15 · 202322.2%#12 · 202338.7%#13 · 202311.0%#11 · 202314.5%#13 · 202322.7%#10 · 202323.5%#10 · 2019
West Bank and Gaza1.4m#20 · 202245.0%#12 · 202218.9%#15 · 202234.0%#18 · 202224.4%#2 · 202240.0%#1 · 202236.1%#5 · 202225.8%#6 · 2025
Bahrain919,501#21 · 202570.4%#4 · 202542.3%#6 · 202569.7%#4 · 20251.1%#22 · 20253.6%#20 · 20255.4%#22 · 2025—
Malta323,052#22 · 202564.0%#8 · 202555.8%#3 · 202562.1%#8 · 20252.9%#19 · 20252.8%#22 · 20258.4%#19 · 20258.4%#15 · 2025
Djibouti267,610#23 · 202531.7%#23 · 202519.4%#14 · 202523.5%#23 · 202526.0%#1 · 202535.4%#2 · 202576.8%#1 · 202544.0%#1 · 2025
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 force23 countries
  1. 1Pakistan85.2m2025
  2. 2Egypt36.1m2025
  3. 3Iran29.5m2025
Lowest
  1. 23Djibouti267,6102025
  2. 22Malta323,0522025
  3. 21Bahrain919,5012025
Median country 4.8m · group 264m
Participation rate23 countries
  1. 1Qatar87.0%2025
  2. 2United Arab Emirates78.6%2025
  3. 3Kuwait73.4%2025
Lowest
  1. 23Djibouti31.7%2025
  2. 22Yemen33.1%2025
  3. 21Syria36.9%2025
Median country 45.0% · group 47.4%
Women's participation23 countries
  1. 1Israel62.3%2025
  2. 2Qatar61.9%2025
  3. 3Malta55.8%2025
Lowest
  1. 23Yemen4.7%2025
  2. 22Afghanistan5.1%2025
  3. 21Iraq10.9%2025
Median country 22.2% · group 19.7%
Employment rate23 countries
  1. 1Qatar86.9%2025
  2. 2United Arab Emirates76.9%2025
  3. 3Kuwait71.8%2025
Lowest
  1. 23Djibouti23.5%2025
  2. 22Yemen27.4%2025
  3. 21Syria31.9%2025
Median country 39.0% · group 43.7%
Unemployment23 countries
  1. 1Djibouti26.0%2025
  2. 2West Bank and Gaza24.4%2022
  3. 3Libya18.8%2025
Lowest
  1. 23Qatar0.1%2025
  2. 22Bahrain1.1%2025
  3. 21United Arab Emirates2.2%2025
Median country 9.0% · group 7.8%
Female unemployment23 countries
  1. 1West Bank and Gaza40.0%2022
  2. 2Djibouti35.4%2025
  3. 3Yemen30.3%2025
Lowest
  1. 23Qatar0.4%2025
  2. 22Malta2.8%2025
  3. 21Israel3.4%2025
Median country 15.3% · group 12.1%
Youth unemployment23 countries
  1. 1Djibouti76.8%2025
  2. 2Libya50.1%2025
  3. 3Jordan38.9%2025
Lowest
  1. 23Qatar0.6%2025
  2. 22Bahrain5.4%2025
  3. 21Israel6.0%2025
Median country 21.9% · group 18.7%
Youth NEET rate16 countries
  1. 1Djibouti44.0%2025
  2. 2Afghanistan43.8%2021
  3. 3Iraq36.9%2021
Lowest
  1. 16United Arab Emirates7.5%2025
  2. 15Malta8.4%2025
  3. 14Israel15.3%2024
Median country 24.0% · group 32.2%
Wage workers23 countries
  1. 1Qatar99.2%2025
  2. 2Bahrain97.6%2025
  3. 3Kuwait96.8%2025
Lowest
  1. 23Afghanistan16.6%2025
  2. 22Pakistan43.0%2025
  3. 21Yemen47.4%2025
Median country 74.1% · group 61.0%
Vulnerable employment23 countries
  1. 1Afghanistan81.8%2025
  2. 2Pakistan55.5%2025
  3. 3Yemen45.6%2025
Lowest
  1. 23Qatar0.5%2025
  2. 22Bahrain0.7%2025
  3. 21United Arab Emirates1.5%2025
Median country 19.4% · group 36.1%
Jobs in agriculture23 countries
  1. 1Afghanistan51.6%2025
  2. 2Pakistan36.2%2025
  3. 3Yemen31.6%2025
Lowest
  1. 23Israel0.8%2025
  2. 22Bahrain0.8%2025
  3. 21Malta0.9%2025
Median country 6.3% · group 21.7%
Jobs in industry23 countries
  1. 1Oman39.4%2025
  2. 2Qatar38.0%2025
  3. 3Bahrain34.9%2025
Lowest
  1. 23Djibouti6.7%2025
  2. 22Yemen11.1%2025
  3. 21Israel15.1%2025
Median country 25.2% · group 26.6%
Jobs in services23 countries
  1. 1Djibouti92.2%2025
  2. 2Israel84.1%2025
  3. 3Malta81.4%2025
Lowest
  1. 23Afghanistan29.5%2025
  2. 22Pakistan38.5%2025
  3. 21Morocco48.3%2025
Median country 63.8% · group 51.7%
more

Other topics in Middle East & North Africa

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: overview
PopulationEconomyPrices & public financeTrade & investmentAid, poverty & equalityEducationHealthDigital & energy accessEnvironment