Women's labour force participation by country, 2025
Women aged 15 and over who are employed or looking for work, as a share of all women of that age, from the ILO modelled estimates. Values for the current and following years are ILO projections.
181 places ranked for 2025. Highest: Madagascar (82.9%). Lowest: Yemen (4.7%). The median is 53.4%.
Highest 10
- 1. Madagascar 82.9%
- 2. Solomon Islands 82.3%
- 3. Nigeria 80.7%
- 4. Tanzania 80.3%
- 5. Burundi 79.5%
- 6. North Korea 77.7%
- 7. Cambodia 77.4%
- 8. Mozambique 77.1%
- 9. Uganda 75.6%
- 10. Benin 75.2%
Lowest 10
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The chart shows the 40 highest values; the table lists all 181. Source: ILO, ILOSTAT (ILO Modelled Estimates).
In short
- Among the 181 countries with a value for 2025, the highest is Madagascar (82.9%) and the lowest Yemen (4.7%).
- Half of the countries are above 53.4% and half below.
- From 2024 to 2025 the value rose in 62 countries and fell in 119.
- The figure for the world was 48.7% in 2025, against 47.0% in 2020 (+1.7 percentage points).
Full ranking
| # | Country | Value | Period | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madagascar | 82.9% | 2025 | |
| 2 | Solomon Islands | 82.3% | 2025 | |
| 3 | Nigeria | 80.7% | 2025 | |
| 4 | Tanzania | 80.3% | 2025 | |
| 5 | Burundi | 79.5% | 2025 | |
| 6 | North Korea | 77.7% | 2025 | |
| 7 | Cambodia | 77.4% | 2025 | |
| 8 | Mozambique | 77.1% | 2025 | |
| 9 | Uganda | 75.6% | 2025 | |
| 10 | Benin | 75.2% | 2025 | |
| 11 | Bolivia | 72.9% | 2025 | |
| 12 | Eritrea | 72.8% | 2025 | |
| 13 | Niger | 72.8% | 2025 | |
| 14 | Moldova | 72.3% | 2025 | |
| 15 | Angola | 72.2% | 2025 | |
| 16 | Liberia | 72.0% | 2025 | |
| 17 | Bahamas | 70.7% | 2025 | |
| 18 | Iceland | 70.0% | 2025 | |
| 19 | Viet Nam | 68.6% | 2025 | |
| 20 | New Zealand | 66.1% | 2025 | |
| 21 | Republic of the Congo | 65.6% | 2025 | |
| 22 | Central African Republic | 65.5% | 2025 | |
| 23 | Peru | 65.0% | 2025 | |
| 24 | Burkina Faso | 64.1% | 2025 | |
| 25 | Botswana | 63.7% | 2025 | |
| 26 | Singapore | 63.6% | 2025 | |
| 27 | Macao SAR, China | 63.1% | 2025 | |
| 28 | Kenya | 63.0% | 2025 | |
| 29 | Jamaica | 63.0% | 2025 | |
| 30 | Netherlands | 62.7% | 2025 | |
| 31 | Kazakhstan | 62.6% | 2025 | |
| 32 | Australia | 62.5% | 2025 | |
| 33 | Israel | 62.3% | 2025 | |
| 34 | Switzerland | 62.2% | 2025 | |
| 35 | Zimbabwe | 62.2% | 2025 | |
| 36 | Norway | 62.1% | 2025 | |
| 37 | Saint Lucia | 62.0% | 2025 | |
| 38 | Qatar | 61.9% | 2025 | |
| 39 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 61.8% | 2025 | |
| 40 | Timor-Leste | 61.7% | 2025 | |
| 41 | Laos | 61.6% | 2025 | |
| 42 | Sweden | 61.5% | 2025 | |
| 43 | Cyprus | 61.2% | 2025 | |
| 44 | Barbados | 61.0% | 2025 | |
| 45 | Estonia | 61.0% | 2025 | |
| 46 | Denmark | 60.8% | 2025 | |
| 47 | Azerbaijan | 60.8% | 2025 | |
| 48 | Guinea-Bissau | 60.3% | 2025 | |
| 49 | Canada | 60.2% | 2025 | |
| 50 | Ireland | 59.8% | 2025 | |
| 51 | Côte d'Ivoire | 59.5% | 2025 | |
| 52 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 59.2% | 2025 | |
| 53 | China | 59.1% | 2025 | |
| 54 | Paraguay | 59.0% | 2025 | |
| 55 | Thailand | 59.0% | 2025 | |
| 56 | Albania | 58.6% | 2025 | |
| 57 | Ethiopia | 58.5% | 2025 | |
| 58 | Haiti | 58.3% | 2025 | |
| 59 | Malawi | 58.2% | 2025 | |
| 60 | Lithuania | 57.7% | 2025 | |
| 61 | Luxembourg | 57.5% | 2025 | |
| 62 | United Kingdom | 57.3% | 2025 | |
| 63 | Rwanda | 57.3% | 2025 | |
| 64 | Uruguay | 57.3% | 2025 | |
| 65 | South Korea | 56.8% | 2025 | |
| 66 | Belarus | 56.8% | 2025 | |
| 67 | Bhutan | 56.7% | 2025 | |
| 68 | Georgia | 56.7% | 2025 | |
| 69 | Togo | 56.6% | 2025 | |
| 70 | Cameroon | 56.6% | 2025 | |
| 71 | Guam | 56.5% | 2025 | |
| 72 | Finland | 56.5% | 2025 | |
| 73 | Zambia | 56.4% | 2025 | |
| 74 | United States | 56.3% | 2025 | |
| 75 | Japan | 55.9% | 2025 | |
| 76 | Malta | 55.8% | 2025 | |
| 77 | Germany | 55.3% | 2025 | |
| 78 | Ghana | 55.3% | 2025 | |
| 79 | Latvia | 55.2% | 2025 | |
| 80 | Slovakia | 55.1% | 2025 | |
| 81 | Austria | 55.1% | 2025 | |
| 82 | Panama | 54.9% | 2025 | |
| 83 | Namibia | 54.9% | 2025 | |
| 84 | Portugal | 54.6% | 2025 | |
| 85 | Russia | 54.5% | 2025 | |
| 86 | Brunei | 54.4% | 2025 | |
| 87 | Hungary | 54.3% | 2025 | |
| 88 | Indonesia | 53.7% | 2025 | |
| 89 | Dominican Republic | 53.7% | 2025 | |
| 90 | Czechia | 53.5% | 2025 | |
| 91 | Brazil | 53.4% | 2025 | |
| 92 | Vanuatu | 53.3% | 2025 | |
| 93 | United Arab Emirates | 53.0% | 2025 | |
| 94 | Chile | 52.9% | 2025 | |
| 95 | Mali | 52.8% | 2025 | |
| 96 | Spain | 52.8% | 2025 | |
| 97 | US Virgin Islands | 52.8% | 2025 | |
| 98 | Serbia | 52.6% | 2025 | |
| 99 | Equatorial Guinea | 52.6% | 2025 | |
| 100 | Argentina | 52.5% | 2025 | |
| 101 | Ecuador | 52.4% | 2025 | |
| 102 | Slovenia | 52.3% | 2025 | |
| 103 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 51.8% | 2025 | |
| 104 | Malaysia | 51.6% | 2025 | |
| 105 | Colombia | 51.6% | 2025 | |
| 106 | Poland | 51.6% | 2025 | |
| 107 | Sierra Leone | 51.6% | 2025 | |
| 108 | France | 51.5% | 2025 | |
| 109 | Mongolia | 51.5% | 2025 | |
| 110 | Nicaragua | 51.3% | 2025 | |
| 111 | Montenegro | 51.2% | 2025 | |
| 112 | New Caledonia | 51.1% | 2025 | |
| 113 | Armenia | 51.1% | 2025 | |
| 114 | Papua New Guinea | 50.8% | 2025 | |
| 115 | Philippines | 50.5% | 2025 | |
| 116 | Cabo Verde | 50.5% | 2025 | |
| 117 | Bulgaria | 50.4% | 2025 | |
| 118 | South Africa | 49.9% | 2025 | |
| 119 | Belgium | 49.8% | 2025 | |
| 120 | El Salvador | 49.1% | 2025 | |
| 121 | Eswatini | 48.5% | 2025 | |
| 122 | Lesotho | 48.1% | 2025 | |
| 123 | Trinidad and Tobago | 47.8% | 2025 | |
| 124 | Comoros | 47.6% | 2025 | |
| 125 | Mauritius | 47.5% | 2025 | |
| 126 | Mexico | 47.5% | 2025 | |
| 127 | Croatia | 47.4% | 2025 | |
| 128 | Guyana | 47.4% | 2025 | |
| 129 | Chad | 47.3% | 2025 | |
| 130 | Kuwait | 47.2% | 2025 | |
| 131 | French Polynesia | 46.6% | 2025 | |
| 132 | Belize | 46.5% | 2025 | |
| 133 | Costa Rica | 46.0% | 2025 | |
| 134 | Gambia | 45.5% | 2025 | |
| 135 | Suriname | 44.9% | 2025 | |
| 136 | Greece | 44.7% | 2025 | |
| 137 | Kyrgyzstan | 44.1% | 2025 | |
| 138 | North Macedonia | 42.7% | 2025 | |
| 139 | Guinea | 42.6% | 2025 | |
| 140 | Tonga | 42.3% | 2025 | |
| 141 | Bahrain | 42.3% | 2025 | |
| 142 | Romania | 41.8% | 2025 | |
| 143 | Gabon | 41.6% | 2025 | |
| 144 | Uzbekistan | 41.2% | 2025 | |
| 145 | Myanmar | 40.9% | 2025 | |
| 146 | Italy | 40.8% | 2025 | |
| 147 | Maldives | 40.7% | 2025 | |
| 148 | Cuba | 40.0% | 2025 | |
| 149 | Honduras | 39.6% | 2025 | |
| 150 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 39.2% | 2025 | |
| 151 | Bangladesh | 38.6% | 2025 | |
| 152 | Fiji | 38.5% | 2025 | |
| 153 | Guatemala | 38.3% | 2025 | |
| 154 | Turkmenistan | 38.2% | 2025 | |
| 155 | Senegal | 38.2% | 2025 | |
| 156 | Türkiye | 37.1% | 2025 | |
| 157 | Venezuela | 37.1% | 2025 | |
| 158 | Puerto Rico (US) | 36.9% | 2025 | |
| 159 | Saudi Arabia | 33.6% | 2025 | |
| 160 | Libya | 33.0% | 2025 | |
| 161 | India | 32.4% | 2025 | |
| 162 | Sri Lanka | 31.0% | 2025 | |
| 163 | Samoa | 30.7% | 2025 | |
| 164 | Oman | 30.0% | 2025 | |
| 165 | Nepal | 27.5% | 2025 | |
| 166 | Tunisia | 26.5% | 2025 | |
| 167 | Mauritania | 26.2% | 2025 | |
| 168 | Pakistan | 24.0% | 2025 | |
| 169 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 22.7% | 2025 | |
| 170 | Tajikistan | 21.9% | 2025 | |
| 171 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 20.7% | 2025 | |
| 172 | Morocco | 19.7% | 2025 | |
| 173 | Djibouti | 19.4% | 2025 | |
| 174 | Egypt | 18.5% | 2025 | |
| 175 | Jordan | 16.0% | 2025 | |
| 176 | Algeria | 14.1% | 2025 | |
| 177 | Iran | 14.0% | 2025 | |
| 178 | Syria | 12.7% | 2025 | |
| 179 | Iraq | 10.9% | 2025 | |
| 180 | Afghanistan | 5.1% | 2025 | |
| 181 | Yemen | 4.7% | 2025 |
Places are ordered from the highest to the lowest value. Group medians on this site are the middle value of the members with data for the same year; they are not official aggregates.
How this ranking works
Every country is ranked on its value for 2025, the latest period that most countries have, so all values are for the same point in time. Countries without a value for 2025 are left out. Groups and aggregates such as the European Union are not ranked. Values are as published by ILOSTAT; the ranking is a plain ordering from the highest to the lowest value and says nothing about whether a high value is good or bad.
Earlier years: use the year selector above. Methodology · Coverage and freshness
Related
- Labour force participation rate of women (ILO modelled estimates): trend, map and all years
- Madagascar and Solomon Islands side by side on every measure
- Fertility and women's labour force participation (scatter plot)
- Rankings within a group: European Union (27 countries) · Euro area (21 countries) · OECD (38 countries) · G20 countries