Data / Rankings / Women in the labour force / Countries

Countries by women in the labour force

Moldova had the highest women in the labour force of 186 countries in 2015, at 53.8%. Yemen had the lowest, at 8.1%. The median was 45% and the figure for the World was 39.5%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest53.8Moldova
Lowest8.1Yemen
Median45186 countries
World39.5History

Map of countries, 2015

United Arab Emirates: 19.9 %Afghanistan: 20.3 %Albania: 43.4 %Armenia: 48.7 %Angola: 49.7 %Argentina: 40.9 %Austria: 46.8 %Australia: 46.1 %Azerbaijan: 51.1 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 41.4 %Bangladesh: 30.6 %Belgium: 46.1 %Burkina Faso: 47.9 %Bulgaria: 46.6 %Burundi: 51.8 %Benin: 49.6 %Brunei: 40.9 %Bolivia: 42.1 %Brazil: 42.4 %Bahamas: 49.7 %Bhutan: 39.6 %Botswana: 45.9 %Belarus: 49.7 %Belize: 37.8 %Canada: 46.9 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.1 %Central African Republic: 46.6 %Republic of the Congo: 49.1 %Switzerland: 46.5 %Côte d’Ivoire: 43.1 %Chile: 40.9 %Cameroon: 46.5 %China: 44.7 %Colombia: 42.1 %Costa Rica: 40.6 %Cuba: 40.5 %Cape Verde: 43.6 %Cyprus: 45.8 %Czechia: 44.1 %Germany: 46.2 %Djibouti: 27.7 %Denmark: 46.9 %Dominican Republic: 39.3 %Algeria: 17.5 %Ecuador: 39.9 %Estonia: 48.7 %Egypt: 24.2 %Eritrea: 47.8 %Spain: 45.9 %Ethiopia: 45.3 %Finland: 48.2 %Fiji: 34.5 %France: 47.8 %Gabon: 39.9 %United Kingdom: 46.9 %Georgia: 48.4 %Ghana: 47.4 %Gambia: 47.3 %Guinea: 44.2 %Equatorial Guinea: 40.3 %Greece: 44.9 %Guatemala: 32.3 %Guinea-Bissau: 46 %Guyana: 39.2 %Hong Kong: 49.3 %Honduras: 36.3 %Croatia: 46.5 %Haiti: 47.5 %Hungary: 47 %Indonesia: 38.3 %Ireland: 45.2 %Israel: 46.9 %India: 24.4 %Iraq: 16.7 %Iran: 16.8 %Iceland: 47.4 %Italy: 42.1 %Jamaica: 45.4 %Jordan: 17.1 %Japan: 42.8 %Kenya: 48.5 %Kyrgyzstan: 40.6 %Cambodia: 48.1 %North Korea: 48.6 %South Korea: 41.9 %Kuwait: 27.2 %Kazakhstan: 49.6 %Laos: 46.8 %Lebanon: 28.2 %Sri Lanka: 34.4 %Liberia: 47.5 %Lesotho: 45.5 %Lithuania: 50.5 %Luxembourg: 45.4 %Latvia: 49.6 %Libya: 33.9 %Morocco: 25.6 %Moldova: 53.8 %Montenegro: 46.3 %Madagascar: 48.5 %North Macedonia: 40.3 %Mali: 43 %Myanmar: 39.7 %Mongolia: 45.6 %Mauritania: 33.2 %Mauritius: 38.3 %Malawi: 48.5 %Mexico: 37.7 %Malaysia: 37.1 %Mozambique: 52.7 %Namibia: 48.5 %New Caledonia: 46.5 %Niger: 41.5 %Nigeria: 46.7 %Nicaragua: 38.3 %Netherlands: 46.5 %Norway: 47.4 %Nepal: 35.7 %New Zealand: 47.1 %Oman: 13.3 %Panama: 39.5 %Peru: 45 %French Polynesia: 43.7 %Papua New Guinea: 47.4 %Philippines: 40.1 %Pakistan: 22.6 %Poland: 45.1 %Puerto Rico: 44.5 %Palestine: 20.8 %Portugal: 48.8 %Paraguay: 40.4 %Qatar: 13.4 %Romania: 43.2 %Serbia: 44.7 %Russia: 48.4 %Rwanda: 47.3 %Saudi Arabia: 12.2 %Solomon Islands: 48.1 %Sudan: 26.7 %Sweden: 47.6 %Singapore: 42 %Slovenia: 46.1 %Slovakia: 45 %Sierra Leone: 49.7 %Senegal: 38 %Somalia: 31 %Suriname: 39.8 %South Sudan: 50 %El Salvador: 41.4 %Syria: 17 %Eswatini: 47.6 %Chad: 41.4 %Togo: 50.2 %Thailand: 45.3 %Tajikistan: 31.1 %Timor-Leste: 45.5 %Turkmenistan: 47.1 %Tunisia: 27.9 %Türkiye: 30.8 %Trinidad and Tobago: 42 %Tanzania: 49 %Ukraine: 48.6 %Uganda: 49.9 %United States: 45.1 %Uruguay: 45.3 %Uzbekistan: 35.1 %Venezuela: 39.9 %Vietnam: 49.1 %Vanuatu: 45.1 %Samoa: 37.4 %Yemen: 8.1 %South Africa: 45.8 %Zambia: 44.9 %Zimbabwe: 50.2 %
  • Under 35
  • 35 to 41
  • 41 to 45
  • 45 to 47
  • 47 to 48
  • 48 and over
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%, 2015. 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, 2015

Moldova: 53.8 %Moldova53.8Mozambique: 52.7 %Mozambique52.7Burundi: 51.8 %Burundi51.8Azerbaijan: 51.1 %Azerbaijan51.1Lithuania: 50.5 %Lithuania50.5Togo: 50.2 %Togo50.2Zimbabwe: 50.2 %Zimbabwe50.2U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.1 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.1South Sudan: 50 %South Sudan50Uganda: 49.9 %Uganda49.9Macao: 49.9 %Macao49.9Barbados: 49.8 %Barbados49.8Bahamas: 49.7 %Bahamas49.7Angola: 49.7 %Angola49.7Sierra Leone: 49.7 %Sierra Leone49.7Belarus: 49.7 %Belarus49.7Kazakhstan: 49.6 %Kazakhstan49.6Benin: 49.6 %Benin49.6Latvia: 49.6 %Latvia49.6Hong Kong: 49.3 %Hong Kong49.3Vietnam: 49.1 %Vietnam49.1Republic of the Congo: 49.1 %Republic of the Congo49.1Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Portugal: 48.8 %Portugal48.8Estonia: 48.7 %Estonia48.7Armenia: 48.7 %Armenia48.7North Korea: 48.6 %North Korea48.6Ukraine: 48.6 %Ukraine48.6Malawi: 48.5 %Malawi48.5Namibia: 48.5 %Namibia48.5Madagascar: 48.5 %Madagascar48.5Kenya: 48.5 %Kenya48.5Georgia: 48.4 %Georgia48.4Russia: 48.4 %Russia48.4Finland: 48.2 %Finland48.2Cambodia: 48.1 %Cambodia48.1Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.1 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.1Solomon Islands: 48.1 %Solomon Islands48.1Burkina Faso: 47.9 %Burkina Faso47.9Eritrea: 47.8 %Eritrea47.8Moldova: 53.8 %Moldova53.8Mozambique: 52.7 %Mozambique52.7Burundi: 51.8 %Burundi51.8Azerbaijan: 51.1 %Azerbaijan51.1Lithuania: 50.5 %Lithuania50.5Togo: 50.2 %Togo50.2Zimbabwe: 50.2 %Zimbabwe50.2U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.1 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.1South Sudan: 50 %South Sudan50Uganda: 49.9 %Uganda49.9Macao: 49.9 %Macao49.9Barbados: 49.8 %Barbados49.8Bahamas: 49.7 %Bahamas49.7Angola: 49.7 %Angola49.7Sierra Leone: 49.7 %Sierra Leone49.7Belarus: 49.7 %Belarus49.7Kazakhstan: 49.6 %Kazakhstan49.6Benin: 49.6 %Benin49.6Latvia: 49.6 %Latvia49.6Hong Kong: 49.3 %Hong Kong49.3Vietnam: 49.1 %Vietnam49.1Republic of the Congo: 49.1 %Republic of the Congo49.1Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Portugal: 48.8 %Portugal48.8Estonia: 48.7 %Estonia48.7Armenia: 48.7 %Armenia48.7North Korea: 48.6 %North Korea48.6Ukraine: 48.6 %Ukraine48.6Malawi: 48.5 %Malawi48.5Namibia: 48.5 %Namibia48.5Madagascar: 48.5 %Madagascar48.5Kenya: 48.5 %Kenya48.5Georgia: 48.4 %Georgia48.4Russia: 48.4 %Russia48.4Finland: 48.2 %Finland48.2Cambodia: 48.1 %Cambodia48.1Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.1 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.1Solomon Islands: 48.1 %Solomon Islands48.1Burkina Faso: 47.9 %Burkina Faso47.9Eritrea: 47.8 %Eritrea47.8
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2015 (%)Change on 2014
1Moldova53.8-0.4 pts
2Mozambique52.7-0.2 pts
3Burundi51.8-0.2 pts
4Azerbaijan51.10 pts
5Lithuania50.5+0.4 pts
6Togo50.2-0.1 pts
7Zimbabwe50.20 pts
8U.S. Virgin Islands50.10 pts
9South Sudan50-0.1 pts
10Uganda49.9-0.2 pts
11Macao49.9+0.4 pts
12Barbados49.8-0.5 pts
13Bahamas49.7+0.2 pts
14Angola49.70 pts
15Sierra Leone49.7-0.5 pts
16Belarus49.7-0 pts
17Kazakhstan49.6-0.1 pts
18Benin49.6+0.1 pts
19Latvia49.6-0 pts
20Hong Kong49.3+0.3 pts
21Vietnam49.1-0.2 pts
22Republic of the Congo49.1-0.1 pts
23Tanzania49-0 pts
24Portugal48.8+0.2 pts
25Estonia48.7+0.4 pts
26Armenia48.7-0 pts
27North Korea48.6-0.1 pts
28Ukraine48.6-0.3 pts
29Malawi48.5-0.1 pts
30Namibia48.5-0.7 pts
31Madagascar48.5-0 pts
32Kenya48.5-0 pts
33Georgia48.40 pts
34Russia48.4-0.2 pts
35Finland48.20 pts
36Cambodia48.1-0.3 pts
37Democratic Republic of the Congo48.10 pts
38Solomon Islands48.1-0 pts
39Burkina Faso47.9-0.1 pts
40Eritrea47.8-0.1 pts
41France47.8+0.1 pts
42São Tomé and Príncipe47.8+0.1 pts
43Eswatini47.6+0.1 pts
44Sweden47.6+0.1 pts
45Haiti47.5+0.1 pts
46Liberia47.50 pts
47Iceland47.4+0.1 pts
48Papua New Guinea47.4-0 pts
49Ghana47.4+0.1 pts
50Norway47.4-0 pts
51Gambia47.3+0.1 pts
52Rwanda47.3+0.1 pts
53New Zealand47.1-0.2 pts
54Turkmenistan47.10 pts
55Hungary47-0.1 pts
56Canada46.9-0.1 pts
57Israel46.90 pts
58United Kingdom46.90 pts
59Denmark46.9-0.3 pts
60Laos46.80 pts
61Austria46.8-0.1 pts
62Nigeria46.70 pts
63Central African Republic46.60 pts
64Bulgaria46.6+0.1 pts
65Cameroon46.5-0.4 pts
66Croatia46.50 pts
67Switzerland46.5+0.1 pts
68Netherlands46.5+0.1 pts
69New Caledonia46.5+0.1 pts
70Saint Lucia46.3+0.1 pts
71Montenegro46.3+0.5 pts
72Germany46.2-0.1 pts
73Australia46.1+0.2 pts
74Belgium46.10 pts
75Slovenia46.1-0 pts
76Guinea-Bissau460 pts
77Spain45.9+0.1 pts
78Botswana45.90 pts
79Cyprus45.8+0.5 pts
80South Africa45.8-0.1 pts
81Mongolia45.6-0.1 pts
82Timor-Leste45.5+0.1 pts
83Lesotho45.5-0.2 pts
84Luxembourg45.4+1 pts
85Jamaica45.4+1.1 pts
86Ethiopia45.3-0.4 pts
87Uruguay45.3+0.2 pts
88Thailand45.3+0.1 pts
89Ireland45.2-0.1 pts
90Poland45.1-0 pts
91Vanuatu45.1+0.2 pts
92United States45.1-0.1 pts
93Slovakia450 pts
94Peru45-0.4 pts
95Zambia44.9+0.1 pts
96Greece44.9+0.7 pts
97China44.7+0.1 pts
98Serbia44.7-0.1 pts
99Puerto Rico44.5+0.4 pts
100Guam44.3+0.1 pts
101Guinea44.2-0.7 pts
102Czechia44.1+0.2 pts
103French Polynesia43.7+0.1 pts
104Cape Verde43.60 pts
105Albania43.4+1.3 pts
106Romania43.2-0.2 pts
107Côte d’Ivoire43.1-0.7 pts
108Mali43+0.8 pts
109Japan42.8+0.2 pts
110Brazil42.4+0.3 pts
111Colombia42.1+0.2 pts
112Bolivia42.10 pts
113Italy42.1-0.3 pts
114Trinidad and Tobago42-0.6 pts
115Singapore42+0.5 pts
116South Korea41.9+0.3 pts
117Niger41.5-0.1 pts
118El Salvador41.4-0.4 pts
119Bosnia and Herzegovina41.4-0 pts
120Chad41.4-0.2 pts
121Argentina40.9+0.2 pts
122Chile40.9-0 pts
123Brunei40.9+0.1 pts
124Kyrgyzstan40.6-0.4 pts
125Costa Rica40.6-0.1 pts
126Cuba40.5+0.4 pts
127Tonga40.4+0.2 pts
128Paraguay40.4+0.4 pts
129North Macedonia40.3-0.2 pts
130Equatorial Guinea40.3-0.2 pts
131Philippines40.1+0.1 pts
132Ecuador39.9+1.5 pts
133Venezuela39.9-0 pts
134Gabon39.9-0.1 pts
135Suriname39.8+0.3 pts
136Myanmar39.7-0 pts
137Saint Vincent and the Grenadines39.6+0.3 pts
138Bhutan39.6+0.4 pts
139Panama39.5+0.7 pts
140Dominican Republic39.3+0.7 pts
141Guyana39.2+0.8 pts
142Malta38.7+0.2 pts
143Mauritius38.3+0.7 pts
144Nicaragua38.3+0.2 pts
145Indonesia38.3+0.1 pts
146Comoros38.1+0.9 pts
147Senegal38+0.4 pts
148Belize37.8+0.4 pts
149Mexico37.7+0.3 pts
150Samoa37.4+0.1 pts
151Malaysia37.1+0.1 pts
152Honduras36.3+0.5 pts
153Nepal35.7+0.8 pts
154Uzbekistan35.10 pts
155Fiji34.5-0.9 pts
156Sri Lanka34.4+0.8 pts
157Libya33.9+0.1 pts
158Mauritania33.2+0.1 pts
159Guatemala32.3-1.2 pts
160Tajikistan31.1-1 pts
161Somalia310 pts
162Türkiye30.8+0.8 pts
163Bangladesh30.6+0.2 pts
164Lebanon28.2+0.6 pts
165Tunisia27.9+0.5 pts
166Djibouti27.7+0.4 pts
167Kuwait27.2-0.6 pts
168Maldives27-0.5 pts
169Sudan26.7-0.7 pts
170Morocco25.6-0.1 pts
171India24.4+0.1 pts
172Egypt24.2+0.2 pts
173Pakistan22.6+0.5 pts
174Bahrain21.5+0.1 pts
175Palestine20.8+0.8 pts
176Afghanistan20.3+1 pts
177United Arab Emirates19.9+0.4 pts
178Algeria17.5+0.1 pts
179Jordan17.1+1.1 pts
180Syria17-0 pts
181Iran16.8+1.2 pts
182Iraq16.7+0.5 pts
183Qatar13.4-0.1 pts
184Oman13.3+0.1 pts
185Saudi Arabia12.2+0.4 pts
186Yemen8.1-0 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. 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, 2015) [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, 2015. 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?period=2015. 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, 2015. 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?period=2015.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS), Countries by women in the labour force, 2015 [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?period=2015 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_women_in_2015,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Labor force, female (\% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS): Countries by women in the labour force, 2015}},
  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?period=2015. 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, 2015
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?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries?period=2015.
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 53.8% in 2015, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest women in the labour force?

Yemen, with 8.1% in 2015.

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.

Women in the labour force: other rankings

Countries: more rankings