43% of Countries Face Declining Workforces: | World Economics

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43% of Countries Face Declining Workforces

A total of 43% of countries are projected to face an overall decline in their workforces by 2050. The workforce represents those in the working-age population (aged 15-64) who are in employed work.

Largest Estimated Declines in Workforces
Millions, 2025 - 2050. Ranked by millions lost.

Country	Workforce 2025	Workforce 2050		Decline 2025-2050	% Decline 2025-2050
China	707.5M	511.7M		-195.8M	-28%
Japan	57.8M	41.1M		-16.6M	-29%
Russia	71.0M	59.8M		-11.1M	-16%
Brazil	96.3M	85.5M		-10.7M	-11%
Thailand	37.0M	27.7M		-9.3M	-25%
Korea, Rep.	24.3M	15.2M		-9.1M	-37%
Germany	40.8M	33.1M		-7.8M	-19%
Italy	22.6M	15.7M		-6.9M	-31%
Spain	20.8M	14.9M		-5.9M	-28%
Poland	16.5M	11.9M		-4.6M	-28%

Country	Decline 2025-2050	% Decline 2025-2050
China	-195.8M	-28%
Japan	-16.6M	-29%
Russia	-11.1M	-16%
Brazil	-10.7M	-11%
Thailand	-9.3M	-25%
Korea, Rep.	-9.1M	-37%
Germany	-7.8M	-19%
Italy	-6.9M	-31%
Spain	-5.9M	-28%
Poland	-4.6M	-28%

Source: World Economics Population Database, 2025

The largest decline is projected to be in China with the loss of a near 200 million in the workforce by 2050. The largest decline as a percentage of the current workforce is projected to be in Korea, where over a third of its current workforce may disappear.

More for subscribers:

Workforce Population Data

Workforce Size to Each Elderly Dependent (65+)

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