2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Bahrain	nationals	males	64.0	64.1	63.4	63.2	63.2	63.2	63.2	63.2	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
		females	32.2	32.3	32.3	32.2	32.2	32.2	32.2	32.2	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
	non-nationals	males	98.1	97.6	97.9	97.8	97.8	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
		females	58.7	57.2	58.2	58.2	58.2	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
Kuwait	nationals	males	56.3	54.2	52.6	47.7	47.7	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	47.7	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
		females	40.3	37.6	39.3	30.8	30.8	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	45.0	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
	non-nationals	males	84.8	94.2	95.3	95.5	95.5	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	91.9	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
		females	58.6	61.3	65.8	65.5	65.5	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	63.5	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
Oman	nationals	males	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	39.3	39.3	39.2	40.7	40.7	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
		females	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	21.7	22.4	21.7	23.7	23.7	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
	non-nationals	males	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
		females	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
Qatar	nationals	males	70.0	68.9	68.6	68.5	68.2	68.1	67.9	66.4	66.7	66.1	66.0	66.0
		females	34.7	35.0	36.1	36.9	36.7	37.1	37.6	37.0	42.0	42.9	43.5	44.1
	non-nationals	males	97.9	97.8	97.8	98.0	97.6	97.6	97.5	97.5	97.2	97.1	97.3	97.4
		females	59.0	59.4	64.9	64.6	64.5	64.2	63.7	64.3	64.2	66.4	68.4	68.7
Saudi Arabia	nationals	males	64.6	64.9	63.3	64.6	63.4	63.0	66.6	68.5	65.6	67.3	65.4	66.2
		females	16.4	17.6	17.4	19.0	19.4	20.2	26.0	33.2	34.7	35.5	35.0	36.0
	non-nationals	males	94.2	93.4	93.7	93.3	94.2	93.8	93.6	92.4	92.6	94.0	95.3	93.2
		females	31.2	28.7	33.1	22.8	24.2	25.9	28.8	29.3	34.0	32.1	33.8	27.9
UAE	nationals	males	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	64.1	62.9	60.4	62.2	62.2	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
		females	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	30.9	32.4	32.3	33.2	33.2	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
	non-nationals	males	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	95.0	94.6	95.1	94.2	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
		females	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	54.3	55.9	55.9	61.1	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.

Sources: GCC-Stat Center and national institutes of statistics

1- Definitions and remarks:

Labour Force Participation Rates (LFPR) refer to the percentage of active (employed or unemployed) population aged 15 and above in the category (sex and nationality).
Ex.: 22.8% of foreign women aged 15 and above in Saudi Arabia are economically active in 2016 (i.e.: officially registered as employed or unemployed).

2- Sources of data:
Data published by the GCC Stat Center are supplied by individual countries and republished without adjustment.
Figures are the same in GCC-Stat and national publications, unless stated otherwise.

Nationals:
Until 2020:
GCC Stat. Labour Statistics in GCC Countries, issues of 2017; 2019; 2020.
https://gccstat.org/en/statistic/publications/labor-statistics
https://www.gccstat.org/ar/statistic/publications/labor-statistics
2017-2020: GCC-Stat publications provide figures for nationals only.

2021-2024:
National sources:
Bahrain

No data on participation rates available from Information and eGovernment Authority (IGA) and from Bahrain Open Data portal.
Bahrain census 2020 data do not match data for Bahrain as reproduced in GCC-Stat Labour Statistics publication (in table).
Bahraini males’ LFPR: 59.6 percent
Bahraini females’ LFPR: 42.7 percent
Source: census 2020
https://www.data.gov.bh/explore/dataset/population-15-years-and-above-by-labour-force-participation-nationality-and-sex-/

Kuwait
2018-2020; 2022-2024: no data on participation rates available from CSB, Kuwait NSO.
PACI and other relevant institutions’ websites cannot be accessed from outside Kuwait.
2021: census data
https://census.csb.gov.kw/CensusData_EN?CatID=5

Oman
No data on participation rates available from NCSI, Oman’s NSO.
Oman Census 2020 data do not match data for Oman as reproduced in GCC-Stat Labour Statistics publication (in table).
Omani males’ LFPR: 70.6 percent
Omani females’ LFPR: 52.6 percent
Source: census 2020
https://portal.ecensus.gov.om/ecen-portal/?lang=en

Qatar
2013-2023: National Planning Council (NPC). Annual Bulletin of Labour Force Sample Survey, given years
https://www.npc.qa/en/statistics/pages/subjectdetails.aspx#
2024: NPC. Quarterly Bulletin. Labour Force Sample Survey, Q4 2024
https://www.npc.qa/en/statistics/pages/subjectdetails.aspx#

Saudi Arabia
GAStat. Labour Market Statistics, Q4 2021 to 2024
As of July 2025, Labour Force Survey data from Q1 2021 to Q1 2024 were revised and backcasted, based on 2022 population census results.
Therefore, the present rates may differ from earlier estimates based on previous Labour Force Surveys’ sampling base
Quarterly Labour Market Statistics reports are accessible from:
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/statistics?index=119025
https://www.stats.gov.sa/statistics?index=119025

Data from GCC-Stat and GAStat are for Q4 of every given year.

UAE
FCSC. Labour Force Survey results, given years
https://fcsc.gov.ae/#/%3Fsubject=Demography%20and%20Social&folder=Demography%20and%20Social/Labour%20Force/Labor%20Force
2010- 2016: no data
2021-2024: no data disaggregated by nationality in national statistics.

Non-nationals:
Until 2017:
GCC Stat. Labour Statistics in GCC Countries 2019
https://gccstat.org/en/statistic/publications/labor-statistics
https://www.gccstat.org/ar/statistic/publications/labor-statistics

2017-2022:
National sources:
Bahrain
No data on participation rates from Information and eGovernment Authority (IGA) and from Bahrain Open Data portal.
Census 2020:
Non-Bahraini males’ economic participation rate: 97.4 percent
Non-Bahraini females’ economic participation rate: 58.6 percent
Source: census 2020
https://www.data.gov.bh/explore/dataset/population-15-years-and-above-by-labour-force-participation-nationality-and-sex-/

Kuwait
2018-2020; 2022-2024: no data on participation rates available from CSB, Kuwait NSO.
PACI and other relevant institutions’ websites cannot be accessed from outside Kuwait.
2021: census data
https://census.csb.gov.kw/CensusData_EN?CatID=5

Oman
No data on participation rates available from NCSI, Oman’s NSO.
Unemployment benefit not accessible to non-nationals; no data available on unemployment among non-nationals.
Estimate below is based on inactivity rates calculated from census 2020 results:
Non-Omani males’ LFPR: 95.5 percent
Non-Omani females’ LFPR: 66.4 percent
Source: census 2020
https://portal.ecensus.gov.om/ecen-portal/?lang=en

Qatar
2013-2023: National Planning Council (NPC). Annual Bulletin of Labour Force Sample Survey, given years
https://www.npc.qa/en/statistics/pages/subjectdetails.aspx#
2024: NPC. Quarterly Bulletin. Labour Force Sample Survey, Q4 2024
https://www.npc.qa/en/statistics/pages/subjectdetails.aspx#

Saudi Arabia
GAStat. Labour Market Statistics, Q4 2021 to 2024
As of July 2025, Labour Force Survey data from Q1 2021 to Q1 2024 were revised and backcasted, based on 2022 population census results.
Therefore, the present rates may differ from earlier estimates based on previous Labour Force Surveys’ sampling base.
Quarterly Labour Market Statistics reports are accessible from:
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/statistics?index=119025
https://www.stats.gov.sa/statistics?index=119025.
Data from GCC-Stat and GAStat are for Q4 of every given year.

UAE
2010- 2016: no data
2017-2019:
FCSC. Labour Force Survey results, given years
https://fcsc.gov.ae/en-us/Pages/Statistics/Statistics-by-Subject.aspx#/%3Fsubject=Demography%20and%20Social&folder=Demography%20and%20Social/Labour%20Force/Labor%20Force
2020-2024: no data disaggregated by nationality.

Keywords:Gulf Cooperation Council, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, National & Foreign Labour, National Labour, Foreign Labour, Female Employment

Last accessed: 7 July 2025.

GLMM and GRC cannot guarantee that the link to access the source will not change;
that the information will not be removed from the website it was obtained from;
that no geo-blockages will be imposed; or that the information will not be available for any another reason.

Similar Posts:

• GCC: Labour Force Participation Rates by nationality (national/non-national) and sex in GCC countries (%) (2013-2022)
• GCC: Labour Force Participation Rates by sex in GCC countries (%) (2013-2017)
• GCC: Labour Force Participation Rates by sex in GCC countries (%) (2016)
• GCC: National and foreign populations by sex and five-year age group (2015)
• GCC: National and foreign populations by five-year age group (2015)