North Korea vs Malaysia: Labor force, total

North Korea
17.70 million
in 2025
Malaysia
18.72 million
in 2025
North Korea rank
39th
Malaysia rank
36th

Labor force, total over time

  • North Korea
  • Malaysia
7.5M10.0M12.5M15.0M17.5M199020072025

How they compare

Malaysia currently reports 18.72 million against 17.70 million in North Korea, a difference of 1.02 million.

That makes Malaysia's figure about 1.1 times North Korea's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 36 shared years of data; in 1990 it was North Korea ahead.

Globally, North Korea ranks 39th and Malaysia ranks 36th of 186 countries.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Labor force, total
Source
International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 8,410 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

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.