Labor force, total in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Labor force, total was 39.22 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, total in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
Analysis
In 2025, labor force, total in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 39.22 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and up 37.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 39.22 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 14.73 million, in 1990.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 17th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.13 million | 14.73 million | 19.29 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.52 million | 19.90 million | 24.68 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.40 million | 25.14 million | 32.28 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.05 million | 32.85 million | 39.22 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More education data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Population ages 15-64 51.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 45.9% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 117.6% (2023)
- Primary education, teachers 561,172 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, female 114.3% (2023)
- School enrollment, primary, male 120.9% (2023)
- Labor force, female 48.9% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index 0.9478 GPI (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, total in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Labor force, total in Democratic Republic of Congo was 39.22 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 39.22 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.73 million in 1990.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for labor force, total?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 17th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.