Labor force, total in Spain

Spain: Labor force, total was 24.76 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
24.76 million
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
28th
of 186 countries
All-time high
24.76 million
in 2025
All-time low
15.54 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Labor force, total in Spain, 1990–2025

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M1990200720251990: 15.5M1991: 15.7M1992: 15.9M1993: 16.1M1994: 16.5M1995: 16.6M1996: 16.9M1997: 17.2M1998: 17.5M1999: 17.8M2000: 18.3M2001: 18.2M2002: 19.0M2003: 19.8M2004: 20.4M2005: 21.2M2006: 21.9M2007: 22.5M2008: 23.2M2009: 23.4M2010: 23.5M2011: 23.6M2012: 23.6M2013: 23.4M2014: 23.2M2015: 23.1M2016: 23.1M2017: 23.0M2018: 23.0M2019: 23.2M2020: 22.9M2021: 23.4M2022: 23.8M2023: 24.2M2024: 24.6M2025: 24.8M

Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.

Analysis

The most recent figure for labor force, total in Spain is 24.76 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force, total in Spain peaked at 24.76 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 15.54 million, in 1990.

That places Spain 28th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 16.56 million 15.54 million 17.76 million 10
2000s 20.79 million 18.16 million 23.40 million 10
2010s 23.27 million 23.01 million 23.60 million 10
2020s 23.93 million 22.92 million 24.76 million 6

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 25 Colombia 27.10 million compare
  2. 26 South Africa 26.73 million compare
  3. 27 Italy 25.66 million compare
  4. 29 Kenya 24.71 million compare
  5. 30 Uganda 23.39 million compare
  6. 31 Myanmar 22.94 million compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More education data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force, total in Spain?
Labor force, total in Spain was 24.76 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 24.76 million in 2025.
What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 15.54 million in 1990.
How does Spain rank for labor force, total?
Spain ranks 28th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is labor force, total rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Spain 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.

Download this data

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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.