Data / Rankings / Women in the labour force / Countries

Countries by women in the labour force, 2025

Moldova had the highest women in the labour force of 181 countries in 2025, at 55.4%. Afghanistan had the lowest, at 6.8%. The median was 45.6% and the figure for the World was 40.2%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest55.4Moldova
Lowest6.8Afghanistan
Median45.6181 countries
World40.2History

Map of countries, 2025

United Arab Emirates: 22.7 %Afghanistan: 6.8 %Albania: 46.6 %Armenia: 47.2 %Angola: 49.4 %Argentina: 43 %Austria: 46.8 %Australia: 47.7 %Azerbaijan: 49.9 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 42.4 %Bangladesh: 34 %Belgium: 46.8 %Burkina Faso: 46.5 %Bulgaria: 46.8 %Burundi: 51.6 %Benin: 49.4 %Brunei: 39.5 %Bolivia: 46.6 %Brazil: 43.4 %Bahamas: 50.7 %Bhutan: 40.4 %Botswana: 46.7 %Belarus: 49.2 %Belize: 39.2 %Canada: 47.2 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.9 %Central African Republic: 48.3 %Republic of the Congo: 48.6 %Switzerland: 47.2 %Côte d’Ivoire: 43.4 %Chile: 42.9 %Cameroon: 43.9 %China: 45.4 %Colombia: 41.6 %Costa Rica: 40.7 %Cuba: 39.1 %Cape Verde: 43.6 %Cyprus: 45.6 %Czechia: 45.2 %Germany: 46.5 %Djibouti: 31 %Denmark: 47.4 %Dominican Republic: 42 %Algeria: 17 %Ecuador: 41 %Estonia: 49.7 %Egypt: 20.6 %Eritrea: 47.7 %Spain: 47.2 %Ethiopia: 43.1 %Finland: 48.1 %Fiji: 34.2 %France: 48.4 %Gabon: 40 %United Kingdom: 47.8 %Georgia: 48.2 %Ghana: 47.6 %Gambia: 48.5 %Guinea: 41.6 %Equatorial Guinea: 40 %Greece: 44.7 %Guatemala: 32.7 %Guinea-Bissau: 47.7 %Guyana: 44.9 %Hong Kong: 51.2 %Honduras: 35 %Croatia: 47.5 %Haiti: 46.5 %Hungary: 47.1 %Indonesia: 39.6 %Ireland: 46.9 %Israel: 48.3 %India: 28.3 %Iraq: 13.3 %Iran: 16.9 %Iceland: 45.6 %Italy: 42.6 %Jamaica: 46.1 %Jordan: 19.3 %Japan: 45.4 %Kenya: 47.4 %Kyrgyzstan: 39.6 %Cambodia: 48.7 %North Korea: 48.2 %South Korea: 44.4 %Kuwait: 23.6 %Kazakhstan: 48.3 %Laos: 46.7 %Sri Lanka: 33.4 %Liberia: 47.5 %Lesotho: 43.8 %Lithuania: 49 %Luxembourg: 46.5 %Latvia: 49.8 %Libya: 33.9 %Morocco: 22.4 %Moldova: 55.4 %Montenegro: 46.6 %Madagascar: 48.6 %North Macedonia: 42.7 %Mali: 39.1 %Myanmar: 37.7 %Mongolia: 43.9 %Mauritania: 33.4 %Mauritius: 40.6 %Malawi: 48.3 %Mexico: 40.3 %Malaysia: 37.1 %Mozambique: 51.7 %Namibia: 48.3 %New Caledonia: 46.2 %Niger: 45 %Nigeria: 48.4 %Nicaragua: 39.9 %Netherlands: 47.2 %Norway: 47.1 %Nepal: 37.6 %New Zealand: 47.6 %Oman: 14.9 %Panama: 41.8 %Peru: 45.2 %French Polynesia: 44.3 %Papua New Guinea: 47.7 %Philippines: 41.6 %Pakistan: 22.8 %Poland: 46.1 %Puerto Rico: 46.1 %Portugal: 49.7 %Paraguay: 42.2 %Qatar: 18 %Romania: 42.4 %Serbia: 47.3 %Russia: 48.8 %Rwanda: 46.8 %Saudi Arabia: 18.9 %Solomon Islands: 48 %Sweden: 47.5 %Singapore: 44.1 %Slovenia: 45.3 %Slovakia: 47.1 %Sierra Leone: 48.8 %Senegal: 36.6 %Somalia: 30.9 %Suriname: 42 %El Salvador: 42.4 %Syria: 17.4 %Eswatini: 48.8 %Chad: 40 %Togo: 51.3 %Thailand: 45.8 %Tajikistan: 29.6 %Timor-Leste: 45.9 %Turkmenistan: 47.1 %Tunisia: 30 %Türkiye: 34.4 %Trinidad and Tobago: 42.1 %Tanzania: 49 %Uganda: 48.2 %United States: 45.6 %Uruguay: 45.9 %Uzbekistan: 35.9 %Venezuela: 36.6 %Vietnam: 48.8 %Vanuatu: 46 %Samoa: 36.4 %Yemen: 7 %South Africa: 46.6 %Zambia: 46.3 %Zimbabwe: 49.6 %
  • Under 36
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%, 2025. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

Top 40 countries, 2025

Moldova: 55.4 %Moldova55.4U.S. Virgin Islands: 51.9 %U.S. Virgin Islands51.9Mozambique: 51.7 %Mozambique51.7Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6Togo: 51.3 %Togo51.3Hong Kong: 51.2 %Hong Kong51.2Macao: 51 %Macao51Bahamas: 50.7 %Bahamas50.7Azerbaijan: 49.9 %Azerbaijan49.9Latvia: 49.8 %Latvia49.8Estonia: 49.7 %Estonia49.7Portugal: 49.7 %Portugal49.7Barbados: 49.7 %Barbados49.7Zimbabwe: 49.6 %Zimbabwe49.6São Tomé and Príncipe: 49.4 %São Tomé and Príncipe49.4Benin: 49.4 %Benin49.4Angola: 49.4 %Angola49.4Belarus: 49.2 %Belarus49.2Lithuania: 49 %Lithuania49Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.9 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.9Vietnam: 48.8 %Vietnam48.8Eswatini: 48.8 %Eswatini48.8Russia: 48.8 %Russia48.8Sierra Leone: 48.8 %Sierra Leone48.8Cambodia: 48.7 %Cambodia48.7Madagascar: 48.6 %Madagascar48.6Republic of the Congo: 48.6 %Republic of the Congo48.6Gambia: 48.5 %Gambia48.5Nigeria: 48.4 %Nigeria48.4France: 48.4 %France48.4Malawi: 48.3 %Malawi48.3Central African Republic: 48.3 %Central African Republic48.3Kazakhstan: 48.3 %Kazakhstan48.3Namibia: 48.3 %Namibia48.3Israel: 48.3 %Israel48.3Georgia: 48.2 %Georgia48.2Uganda: 48.2 %Uganda48.2North Korea: 48.2 %North Korea48.2Finland: 48.1 %Finland48.1Moldova: 55.4 %Moldova55.4U.S. Virgin Islands: 51.9 %U.S. Virgin Islands51.9Mozambique: 51.7 %Mozambique51.7Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6Togo: 51.3 %Togo51.3Hong Kong: 51.2 %Hong Kong51.2Macao: 51 %Macao51Bahamas: 50.7 %Bahamas50.7Azerbaijan: 49.9 %Azerbaijan49.9Latvia: 49.8 %Latvia49.8Estonia: 49.7 %Estonia49.7Portugal: 49.7 %Portugal49.7Barbados: 49.7 %Barbados49.7Zimbabwe: 49.6 %Zimbabwe49.6São Tomé and Príncipe: 49.4 %São Tomé and Príncipe49.4Benin: 49.4 %Benin49.4Angola: 49.4 %Angola49.4Belarus: 49.2 %Belarus49.2Lithuania: 49 %Lithuania49Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.9 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.9Vietnam: 48.8 %Vietnam48.8Eswatini: 48.8 %Eswatini48.8Russia: 48.8 %Russia48.8Sierra Leone: 48.8 %Sierra Leone48.8Cambodia: 48.7 %Cambodia48.7Madagascar: 48.6 %Madagascar48.6Republic of the Congo: 48.6 %Republic of the Congo48.6Gambia: 48.5 %Gambia48.5Nigeria: 48.4 %Nigeria48.4France: 48.4 %France48.4Malawi: 48.3 %Malawi48.3Central African Republic: 48.3 %Central African Republic48.3Kazakhstan: 48.3 %Kazakhstan48.3Namibia: 48.3 %Namibia48.3Israel: 48.3 %Israel48.3Georgia: 48.2 %Georgia48.2Uganda: 48.2 %Uganda48.2North Korea: 48.2 %North Korea48.2Finland: 48.1 %Finland48.1
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2025 (%)Change on 2024
1Moldova55.4+0.1 pts
2U.S. Virgin Islands51.9+0.2 pts
3Mozambique51.7-0.1 pts
4Burundi51.6-0 pts
5Togo51.3-0.1 pts
6Hong Kong51.20 pts
7Macao510 pts
8Bahamas50.70 pts
9Azerbaijan49.9-0.1 pts
10Latvia49.8-0 pts
11Estonia49.7-0 pts
12Portugal49.70 pts
13Barbados49.7-0.1 pts
14Zimbabwe49.6-0.1 pts
15São Tomé and Príncipe49.4+0.1 pts
16Benin49.40 pts
17Angola49.4-0 pts
18Belarus49.2-0 pts
19Lithuania49-0.1 pts
20Tanzania49-0 pts
21Democratic Republic of the Congo48.9+0.1 pts
22Vietnam48.8-0 pts
23Eswatini48.8+0.1 pts
24Russia48.8-0 pts
25Sierra Leone48.8-0 pts
26Cambodia48.7-0 pts
27Madagascar48.6-0 pts
28Republic of the Congo48.6-0 pts
29Gambia48.5+0.1 pts
30Nigeria48.4-0 pts
31France48.4-0 pts
32Malawi48.3-0.1 pts
33Central African Republic48.3-0.2 pts
34Kazakhstan48.3-0.1 pts
35Namibia48.30 pts
36Israel48.30 pts
37Georgia48.20 pts
38Uganda48.2-0 pts
39North Korea48.2-0 pts
40Finland48.1-0 pts
41Solomon Islands48-0 pts
42United Kingdom47.8-0 pts
43Guinea-Bissau47.70 pts
44Australia47.70 pts
45Eritrea47.7-0.1 pts
46Papua New Guinea47.7+0.1 pts
47Ghana47.60 pts
48New Zealand47.6-0 pts
49Liberia47.5-0 pts
50Croatia47.50 pts
51Sweden47.5-0 pts
52Kenya47.4+0.1 pts
53Denmark47.4-0 pts
54Serbia47.3+0.1 pts
55Canada47.20 pts
56Armenia47.2-0.1 pts
57Netherlands47.20 pts
58Switzerland47.2-0 pts
59Spain47.20 pts
60Turkmenistan47.1-0 pts
61Slovakia47.10 pts
62Norway47.1-0 pts
63Hungary47.1-0 pts
64Tonga46.9+0.1 pts
65Ireland46.90 pts
66Rwanda46.80 pts
67Austria46.8-0 pts
68Bulgaria46.80 pts
69Belgium46.80 pts
70Botswana46.7+0.1 pts
71Laos46.70 pts
72Albania46.6+0.1 pts
73South Africa46.6+0.1 pts
74Montenegro46.60 pts
75Bolivia46.6+0.1 pts
76Luxembourg46.50 pts
77Burkina Faso46.5-0 pts
78Haiti46.5+0.1 pts
79Germany46.5-0 pts
80Zambia46.30 pts
81Saint Lucia46.3+0.1 pts
82New Caledonia46.2-0.1 pts
83Jamaica46.10 pts
84Poland46.10 pts
85Puerto Rico46.1+0.1 pts
86Vanuatu460 pts
87Uruguay45.9-0 pts
88Timor-Leste45.90 pts
89Thailand45.8-0 pts
90United States45.60 pts
91Iceland45.6-0 pts
92Cyprus45.60 pts
93Japan45.4+0.2 pts
94China45.40 pts
95Slovenia45.3-0 pts
96Peru45.20 pts
97Czechia45.20 pts
98Guam45.2+0.1 pts
99Niger45-0.1 pts
100Guyana44.9+0.1 pts
101Greece44.7-0.1 pts
102South Korea44.4+0.1 pts
103French Polynesia44.30 pts
104Singapore44.10 pts
105Cameroon43.9-0.1 pts
106Mongolia43.9-0.1 pts
107Lesotho43.8-0.1 pts
108Cape Verde43.60 pts
109Brazil43.40 pts
110Côte d’Ivoire43.40 pts
111Ethiopia43.10 pts
112Argentina43+0.1 pts
113Chile42.9+0.1 pts
114Saint Vincent and the Grenadines42.8+0.1 pts
115Comoros42.7+0.2 pts
116North Macedonia42.7+0.1 pts
117Italy42.6-0 pts
118Bosnia and Herzegovina42.40 pts
119El Salvador42.4-0.1 pts
120Romania42.40 pts
121Paraguay42.2+0.1 pts
122Trinidad and Tobago42.1-0 pts
123Suriname42+0.1 pts
124Dominican Republic42+0.2 pts
125Malta41.90 pts
126Panama41.8+0.1 pts
127Philippines41.60 pts
128Colombia41.60 pts
129Guinea41.6-0.1 pts
130Ecuador410 pts
131Costa Rica40.70 pts
132Mauritius40.6+0.2 pts
133Bhutan40.4+0.1 pts
134Mexico40.30 pts
135Chad40-0.1 pts
136Equatorial Guinea400 pts
137Gabon40+0.1 pts
138Nicaragua39.9+0.1 pts
139Indonesia39.6+0.1 pts
140Kyrgyzstan39.6-0 pts
141Brunei39.50 pts
142Belize39.2+0.8 pts
143Mali39.1-0.1 pts
144Cuba39.1-0.1 pts
145Myanmar37.70 pts
146Nepal37.6+0.3 pts
147Malaysia37.1+0.1 pts
148Venezuela36.6-0.1 pts
149Senegal36.6+0.1 pts
150Samoa36.4-0 pts
151Uzbekistan35.90 pts
152Honduras350 pts
153Türkiye34.4+0.2 pts
154Fiji34.20 pts
155Bangladesh34-0 pts
156Libya33.9-0.1 pts
157Sri Lanka33.4+0.1 pts
158Mauritania33.4-0 pts
159Guatemala32.7-0 pts
160Djibouti31+0.2 pts
161Somalia30.90 pts
162Tunisia300 pts
163Tajikistan29.6-0 pts
164India28.3-0 pts
165Kuwait23.60 pts
166Maldives23.2+0.2 pts
167Pakistan22.8+0.1 pts
168United Arab Emirates22.7+0.3 pts
169Morocco22.4-0 pts
170Bahrain21.30 pts
171Egypt20.6-0 pts
172Jordan19.30 pts
173Saudi Arabia18.9+0.3 pts
174Qatar18+0.2 pts
175Syria17.4-0 pts
176Algeria17-0 pts
177Iran16.9-0 pts
178Oman14.9-0.1 pts
179Iraq13.3-0.1 pts
180Yemen7-0 pts
181Afghanistan6.8-0 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Women aged 15 and over who are employed or unemployed, as a percentage of the total labour force. World Bank series from ILO modelled estimates and UN population estimates.

A share of the labour force, not the female participation rate: half would mean as many women as men are working or looking for work. ILO modelled estimates: model outputs that fill years without a survey, not survey results. The latest year is a nowcast and is revised as surveys arrive.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. 5 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2025 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

World Bank. (2026). Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS) (Countries by women in the labour force, 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS

MLA 9

Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS), Countries by women in the labour force, 2025. World Bank, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

World Bank. 2026. Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). Countries by women in the labour force, 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS), Countries by women in the labour force, 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_women_in_2025,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Labor force, female (\% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS): Countries by women in the labour force, 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS},
  urldate = {2026-10-18},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries. Publisher attribution: World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Labor force, female (\% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - World Bank
TI  - Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS): Countries by women in the labour force, 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
PB  - World Bank
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries.
N1  - Publisher attribution: World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
ER  -
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Questions

Which country has the highest women in the labour force?

Moldova, with 55.4% in 2025, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest women in the labour force?

Afghanistan, with 6.8% in 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18. 5 countries have no value for 2025 and are not ranked.

Women in the labour force: other rankings

Countries: more rankings