GCC: Labour Force Participation Rates by nationality (national/non-national) and sex in GCC countries (%) (2013-2022)
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |||
| Bahrain | nationals | males | 64.0 | 64.1 | 63.4 | 63.2 | 63.2 | 63.2 | 63.2 | 63.2 | 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. | ||
| non-nationals | males | 98.1 | 97.6 | 97.9 | 97.8 | 97.8 | 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. | ||
| Kuwait | nationals | males | 56.3 | 54.2 | 52.6 | 47.7 | 47.7 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 47.7 | n.a. |
| females | 40.3 | 37.6 | 39.3 | 30.8 | 30.8 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 45.0 | 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. | |
| females | 58.6 | 61.3 | 65.8 | 65.5 | 65.5 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 63.5 | 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. |
| females | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 21.7 | 22.4 | 21.7 | 23.7 | 23.7 | 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. | |
| females | 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 |
| females | 34.7 | 35.0 | 36.1 | 36.9 | 36.7 | 37.1 | 37.6 | 37.0 | 42.0 | 42.9 | ||
| non-nationals | males | 97.9 | 97.8 | 97.8 | 98.0 | 97.6 | 97.6 | 97.5 | 97.5 | 97.2 | 97.1 | |
| females | 59.0 | 59.4 | 64.9 | 64.6 | 64.5 | 64.2 | 63.7 | 64.3 | 64.2 | 66.4 | ||
| Saudi Arabia | nationals | males | 64.6 | 64.9 | 63.3 | 64.6 | 63.4 | 63.0 | 66.6 | 68.5 | 66.8 | 68.5 |
| females | 16.4 | 17.6 | 17.4 | 19.0 | 19.4 | 20.2 | 26.0 | 33.2 | 35.6 | 36.0 | ||
| non-nationals | males | 94.2 | 93.4 | 93.7 | 93.3 | 94.2 | 93.8 | 93.6 | 92.4 | 92.0 | 93.2 | |
| females | 31.2 | 28.7 | 33.1 | 22.8 | 24.2 | 25.9 | 28.8 | 29.3 | 33.3 | 31.1 | ||
| UAE | nationals | males | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 64.1 | 62.9 | 60.4 | 62.2 | 62.2 | 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. | ||
| non-nationals | males | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 95.0 | 94.6 | 95.1 | 94.2 | 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. |
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.: 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
- 2021-2022:
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
Kuwait
2018-2020; 2022: no data
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
PSA. Annual Bulletin of Labour Force Sample Survey 2022
https://www.psa.gov.qa/en/statistics1/pages/topicslisting.aspx?parent=Social&child=LaborForce
Saudi Arabia
GAStat. Labour Market Statistics, Q4 2022
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/814
Data from GCC-Stat and GAStat are for Q4 of every given year.
UAE
FCSC. Labour Force Survey results, given years
2010- 2016: no data
2021-2022: 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
- 2017-2020: GCC-Stat publications provide figures for nationals only.
- 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
Kuwait
2018-2020; 2022: no data
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’s 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
PSA. Annual Bulletin of Labour Force Sample Survey 2022
https://www.psa.gov.qa/en/statistics1/pages/topicslisting.aspx?parent=Social&child=LaborForce
Saudi Arabia
GAStat. Labour Market Statistics, Q4 2022
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/814
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
2020-2022: 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: January 2024.
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