Labor force, total in Turkey

Turkey: Labor force, total was 36.88 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
36.88 million
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
18th
of 186 countries
All-time high
36.88 million
in 2025
All-time low
20.21 million
in 1993
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Labor force, total in Turkey, 1990–2025

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M1990200720251990: 20.4M1991: 21.0M1992: 21.2M1993: 20.2M1994: 21.7M1995: 22.1M1996: 22.4M1997: 22.5M1998: 23.1M1999: 23.6M2000: 22.8M2001: 23.2M2002: 23.5M2003: 23.4M2004: 22.8M2005: 23.2M2006: 23.5M2007: 23.6M2008: 24.4M2009: 25.4M2010: 26.5M2011: 27.6M2012: 28.1M2013: 29.1M2014: 29.5M2015: 30.6M2016: 31.5M2017: 32.5M2018: 33.3M2019: 33.7M2020: 31.8M2021: 33.5M2022: 35.1M2023: 35.6M2024: 36.4M2025: 36.9M

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

Analysis

In 2025, labor force, total in Turkey stood at 36.88 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 20.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force, total in Turkey peaked at 36.88 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 20.21 million, in 1993.

Turkey ranks 18th 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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 21.81 million 20.21 million 23.56 million 10
2000s 23.59 million 22.78 million 25.41 million 10
2010s 30.24 million 26.45 million 33.69 million 10
2020s 34.86 million 31.77 million 36.88 million 6

Countries ranked near Turkey

  1. 15 Germany 43.55 million compare
  2. 16 Thailand 40.87 million compare
  3. 17 Democratic Republic of Congo 39.22 million compare
  4. 19 Egypt 36.11 million compare
  5. 20 United Kingdom 35.41 million compare
  6. 21 Tanzania 34.05 million compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More education data for Turkey

All data for Turkey →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force, total in Turkey?
Labor force, total in Turkey was 36.88 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Turkey?
The highest recorded value was 36.88 million in 2025.
What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Turkey?
The lowest recorded value was 20.21 million in 1993.
How does Turkey rank for labor force, total?
Turkey ranks 18th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is labor force, total rising or falling in Turkey?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Turkey 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

CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

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.