South Asia - Labor force, total

The value for Labor force, total in South Asia was 650,369,300 as of 2021. As the graph below shows, over the past 31 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 659,848,200 in 2019 and a minimum value of 401,030,300 in 1990.

Definition: Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.

Source: Derived using data from International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database and World Bank population estimates. Labor data retrieved in September 2019.

See also:

Year Value
1990 401,030,300
1991 410,567,600
1992 420,306,300
1993 430,476,900
1994 441,465,100
1995 451,281,100
1996 462,459,100
1997 473,931,700
1998 485,438,900
1999 496,832,600
2000 508,358,700
2001 521,347,900
2002 534,677,900
2003 548,358,000
2004 562,162,800
2005 575,551,500
2006 580,838,100
2007 586,109,600
2008 591,099,800
2009 596,382,100
2010 601,555,100
2011 604,625,100
2012 608,279,100
2013 615,322,900
2014 620,997,600
2015 628,462,200
2016 634,183,500
2017 642,209,000
2018 646,948,900
2019 659,848,200
2020 632,156,700
2021 650,369,300

Statistical Concept and Methodology: The labor force is the supply of labor available for producing goods and services in an economy. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave. Data are generated with World Bank population estimates and ILO estimates on labor force participation rate. The ILO estimates are harmonized to ensure comparability across countries and over time by accounting for differences in data source, scope of coverage, methodology, and other country-specific factors. The estimates are based mainly on nationally representative labor force surveys, with other sources (population censuses and nationally reported estimates) used only when no survey data are available.

Aggregation method: Sum

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections.

Classification

Topic: Labor & Social Protection Indicators

Sub-Topic: Labor force structure