WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Do countries comprehensively prohibit age discrimination at work?

The term “age” includes broad references to ‘age’ and specific protections for minors, the elderly, or individuals above a certain age. For the purposes of this variable, the term “age” captures all of these definitions.

Aspects of discrimination examined include discrimination in hiring, promotions and/or demotions, training, pay, and terminations.

Indirect discrimination indicates a prohibition of imposing standards, criteria, or other requirements that disproportionately impact persons on the basis of age and have the effect of discrimination on this basis. In these cases, legislation either explicitly prohibits indirect discrimination, or prohibits the imposition of unreasonable requirements that particularly disadvantage persons on the basis of age. Legislative prohibitions of indirect discrimination may extend across any aspect of work, or specific aspects of work such as hiring.

No explicit prohibition means that legislation does not explicitly prohibit age-based workplace discrimination broadly, nor specifically against discrimination in any aspect examined. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.

Countries

Afghanistan - No prohibition

Angola - No prohibition

Bahrain - No prohibition

Bangladesh - No prohibition

Bhutan - No prohibition

Botswana - No prohibition

Brunei - No prohibition

Cabo Verde - No prohibition

China - No prohibition

Comoros - No prohibition

Dominica - No prohibition

Egypt - No prohibition

Equatorial Guinea - No prohibition

Eritrea - No prohibition

Ethiopia - No prohibition

The Gambia - No prohibition

Ghana - No prohibition

Greenland - No prohibition

Guatemala - No prohibition

Haiti - No prohibition

India - No prohibition

Indonesia - No prohibition

Jamaica - No prohibition

Jordan - No prohibition

Kenya - No prohibition

Laos - No prohibition

Lebanon - No prohibition

Lesotho - No prohibition

Libya - No prohibition

Liechtenstein - No prohibition

Malawi - No prohibition

Malaysia - No prohibition

Marshall Islands - No prohibition

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition

Monaco - No prohibition

Morocco - No prohibition

Myanmar - No prohibition

Namibia - No prohibition

Nauru - No prohibition

Nepal - No prohibition

Nicaragua - No prohibition

Nigeria - No prohibition

Oman - No prohibition

Pakistan - No prohibition

Palau - No prohibition

Panama - No prohibition

Papua New Guinea - No prohibition

Qatar - No prohibition

Rwanda - No prohibition

Samoa - No prohibition

San Marino - No prohibition

Solomon Islands - No prohibition

Sri Lanka - No prohibition

St. Kitts and Nevis - No prohibition

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition

Sudan - No prohibition

Switzerland - No prohibition

Syria - No prohibition

Tajikistan - No prohibition

Thailand - No prohibition

Tonga - No prohibition

Trinidad and Tobago - No prohibition

Tunisia - No prohibition

Uganda - No prohibition

United Arab Emirates - No prohibition

Uruguay - No prohibition

Vanuatu - No prohibition

Zimbabwe - No prohibition

Bolivia - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Burkina Faso - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Cambodia - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Cameroon - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Central African Republic - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Republic of the Congo - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Ecuador - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

El Salvador - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Gabon - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Iran - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Iraq - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Israel - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Japan - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Madagascar - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Mali - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Mauritania - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Seychelles - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Singapore - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Somalia - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Eswatini - Only prohibit some aspects and no broad prohibition

Algeria - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Andorra - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Antigua and Barbuda - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Argentina - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Armenia - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Australia - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Azerbaijan - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Barbados - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Belarus - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Belgium - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Belize - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Burundi - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Canada - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Chile - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Colombia - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Costa Rica - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Croatia - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Cuba - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Czech Republic - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Dominican Republic - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Finland - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Greece - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Grenada - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Guinea-Bissau - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Guyana - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Honduras - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Kazakhstan - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Kiribati - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Kuwait - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Kyrgyzstan - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Lithuania - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Maldives - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Mongolia - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Mozambique - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

The Netherlands - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Paraguay - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Russian Federation - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Sao Tome and Principe - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Saudi Arabia - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Sierra Leone - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

St. Lucia - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Suriname - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Sweden - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Timor-Leste - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Türkiye - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Turkmenistan - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Tuvalu - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Ukraine - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

United Kingdom - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

United States of America - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Uzbekistan - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Venezuela - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Vietnam - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Yemen - Broad prohibition and specific for some areas

Bahamas - Prohibitions in all areas, but no prohibition of indirect discrimination

Benin - Prohibitions in all areas, but no prohibition of indirect discrimination

Brazil - Prohibitions in all areas, but no prohibition of indirect discrimination

Chad - Prohibitions in all areas, but no prohibition of indirect discrimination

Cote d'Ivoire - Prohibitions in all areas, but no prohibition of indirect discrimination

Djibouti - Prohibitions in all areas, but no prohibition of indirect discrimination

Guinea - Prohibitions in all areas, but no prohibition of indirect discrimination

Republic of Korea - Prohibitions in all areas, but no prohibition of indirect discrimination

Mexico - Prohibitions in all areas, but no prohibition of indirect discrimination

Niger - Prohibitions in all areas, but no prohibition of indirect discrimination

The Philippines - Prohibitions in all areas, but no prohibition of indirect discrimination

Albania - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Austria - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Bulgaria - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Cyprus - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Denmark - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Estonia - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Fiji - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

France - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Georgia - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Germany - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Hungary - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Iceland - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Ireland - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Italy - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Latvia - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Liberia - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Luxembourg - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

North Macedonia - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Malta - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Mauritius - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Moldova - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Montenegro - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

New Zealand - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Norway - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Peru - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Poland - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Portugal - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Romania - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Senegal - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Serbia - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Slovakia - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Slovenia - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

South Africa - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

South Sudan - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Spain - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Tanzania - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Togo - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect

Zambia - Prohibits in all aspects + indirect