Labor force — all countries

Labor force — South Asia

Labor force in South Asia in 2025 — 709,676,121 people. Since 1990, the indicator has risen by 99.3%.

2025 710M people +1.46% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 710M people2025
Period minimum 356M people1990

Trend over time

1990–2025 · people

Labor force — South Asia, 1990–2025300M400M500M600M700M800M19901994199820022006201020142018202220251990: 356,025,995 people1991: 365,051,908 people1992: 374,361,337 people1993: 384,174,637 people1994: 394,200,377 people1995: 406,050,472 people1996: 418,756,778 people1997: 431,762,428 people1998: 445,613,801 people1999: 459,131,535 people2000: 472,836,407 people2001: 483,431,090 people2002: 493,728,341 people2003: 503,804,643 people2004: 513,984,040 people2005: 524,059,948 people2006: 527,851,037 people2007: 531,598,949 people2008: 535,015,838 people2009: 538,546,532 people2010: 542,294,917 people2011: 547,215,255 people2012: 552,104,604 people2013: 560,850,749 people2014: 569,856,830 people2015: 579,056,589 people2016: 588,022,370 people2017: 599,795,845 people2018: 608,713,889 people2019: 617,666,967 people2020: 619,936,303 people2021: 640,376,891 people2022: 661,309,170 people2023: 681,389,763 people2024: 699,442,220 people2025: 709,676,121 people
Change over the period: +354M (+99.33%) Average annual rate: 1.99 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: South Asia

South Asia 710M people
World 3.74B people
Labor force — South Asia, by year South Asia All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 710M +10.23M +1.46%
2024 699M +18.05M +2.65%
2023 681M +20.08M +3.04%
2022 661M +20.93M +3.27%
2021 640M +20.44M +3.3%
2020 620M +2.27M +0.37%
2019 618M +8.95M +1.47%
2018 609M +8.92M +1.49%
2017 600M +11.77M +2%
2016 588M +8.97M +1.55%
2015 579M +9.2M +1.61%
2014 570M +9.01M +1.61%
2013 561M +8.75M +1.58%
2012 552M +4.89M +0.89%
2011 547M +4.92M +0.91%
2010 542M +3.75M +0.7%
2009 539M +3.53M +0.66%
2008 535M +3.42M +0.64%
2007 532M +3.75M +0.71%
2006 528M +3.79M +0.72%
2005 524M +10.08M +1.96%
2004 514M +10.18M +2.02%
2003 504M +10.08M +2.04%
2002 494M +10.3M +2.13%
2001 483M +10.59M +2.24%
2000 473M +13.7M +2.98%
1999 459M +13.52M +3.03%
1998 446M +13.85M +3.21%
1997 432M +13.01M +3.11%
1996 419M +12.71M +3.13%
1995 406M +11.85M +3.01%
1994 394M +10.03M +2.61%
1993 384M +9.81M +2.62%
1992 374M +9.31M +2.55%
1991 365M +9.03M +2.54%
1990 356M

About the indicator

The economically active population — everyone aged 15 and over who either works or actively looks for work. It covers the employed, the unemployed and first-time job seekers; it leaves out students, homemakers and other people who do not offer their labor on the market. The size of the labor force is the basic constraint on the growth potential of an economy.

Source: ILOSTAT (ILO), license CC BY 4.0.