Countries With the Most Labour Protests in 2025

Inflation, stagnant wages, dwindling rights, and economic inequality have ignited labour unrest all over the world in 2025. Other countries like India, Germany, Turkey and Morocco have recorded sharp increases in protests unlike others like France who had experienced previously unprecedented levels. India leads the list by more than 18,600 protests in 2024 or riots, which is significantly more than last year (Research data). The greatest percentage change was in Türkiye and Morocco increased protest events by more than twice. The wider tendencies involve the increasing limitations to the freedom to strike, to the freedom to collectively bargain and the freedom to be unionized as mentioned in the ITUC Global Rights Index.

Table: Top Countries by Protest Frequency 

Table Description & Key Insights

According to Research, the table includes the ten most frequent countries regarding the number of protests and riots in 2024. India is by far the most protest-active, with the country coming second in the United States with almost twice as many events. Turkey experienced the highest year-on-year growth rate ( 78.5%), and the growth in Morocco was even more dramatic, increasing by more than 200% compared to the year 2023. Other nations such as France and South Korea experienced some conspicuous drops although they remained in the top ten list. These moves are indicative of different domestic pressures: economic misery, deteriorating labour rights, political instability or a reaction to policies that were seen to be unjust. The increase in Mexico and Germany is another indicator of the increase in unrest in the countries that are traditionally considered more stable. In the meantime, the ITUC Global Rights Index indicates that the majority of the countries are abusing basic rights to labour, such as the right to strike and to form and be part of a union.