Netherlands — Labor participation
Labor Force Participation Rate for Netherlands, 1990–2025.
Labor participation for Netherlands was 67.25% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 36 years, from 1990 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 67.95% in 2001. The lowest was 66.13% in 2017 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.04% per year.
Netherlands ranks 43 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 23%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 60.12%, so Netherlands sits above it. It peaked in 2001 and has fallen 1% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 1%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 4 of 49 economies; Cyprus (66.96%) is just below it.
Data highlights
World ranking. Climbed: 59th of 187 in 1990 → 45th of 187 in 2000 → 56th of 187 in 2010 → 41st of 187 in 2020 → 42nd of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1990 to 2025
| Year | % of population ages 15+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 67.25% | -0.2 pp |
| 2024 | 67.46% | -0.3 pp |
| 2023 | 67.72% | +0.5 pp |
| 2022 | 67.23% | +0.7 pp |
| 2021 | 66.53% | -0.0 pp |
| 2020 | 66.54% | -0.2 pp |
| 2019 | 66.71% | +0.3 pp |
| 2018 | 66.38% | +0.3 pp |
| 2017 | 66.13% | -0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 66.28% | -0.2 pp |
| 2015 | 66.47% | +0.3 pp |
| 2014 | 66.16% | -0.6 pp |
| 2013 | 66.74% | -0.0 pp |
| 2012 | 66.78% | +0.4 pp |
| 2011 | 66.39% | -0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 66.5% | -0.3 pp |
| 2009 | 66.82% | -0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 67.15% | -0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 67.17% | +0.0 pp |
| 2006 | 67.17% | -0.0 pp |
| 2005 | 67.2% | -0.2 pp |
| 2004 | 67.42% | -0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 67.67% | -0.2 pp |
| 2002 | 67.87% | -0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 67.95% | +0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 67.8% | +0.3 pp |
| 1999 | 67.54% | +0.2 pp |
| 1998 | 67.29% | +0.2 pp |
| 1997 | 67.11% | +0.2 pp |
| 1996 | 66.94% | +0.1 pp |
| 1995 | 66.82% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 66.82% | +0.0 pp |
| 1993 | 66.8% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 66.74% | +0.2 pp |
| 1991 | 66.55% | +0.2 pp |
| 1990 | 66.34% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Netherlands’s Labor participation in 1991?
66.55% (1991). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of population ages 15+, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Netherlands’s Labor participation growing or shrinking?
Between 1990 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +1.4% in total.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.TLF.CACT.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 67.25%; 2024: 67.46%; 2023: 67.72%; 2022: 67.23%; 2021: 66.53%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.TLF.CACT.ZS — Labor Force Participation Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.