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 2016, at 53.8%. Yemen had the lowest, at 7.9%. The median was 45.1% and the figure for the World was 39.5%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest53.8Moldova
Lowest7.9Yemen
Median45.1186 countries
World39.5History

Map of countries, 2016

United Arab Emirates: 20.3 %Afghanistan: 21.4 %Albania: 44.5 %Armenia: 48.7 %Angola: 49.7 %Argentina: 41.2 %Austria: 46.7 %Australia: 46.4 %Azerbaijan: 50.8 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 41.4 %Bangladesh: 30.8 %Belgium: 46 %Burkina Faso: 47.8 %Bulgaria: 46.2 %Burundi: 51.6 %Benin: 49.7 %Brunei: 41 %Bolivia: 42.1 %Brazil: 42.5 %Bahamas: 49.9 %Bhutan: 39.7 %Botswana: 45.9 %Belarus: 49.6 %Belize: 38.1 %Canada: 47 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Central African Republic: 46.6 %Republic of the Congo: 49 %Switzerland: 46.6 %Côte d’Ivoire: 42.4 %Chile: 41.2 %Cameroon: 46.2 %China: 44.7 %Colombia: 42.1 %Costa Rica: 39.3 %Cuba: 40.6 %Cape Verde: 43.6 %Cyprus: 45.4 %Czechia: 44.2 %Germany: 46.2 %Djibouti: 28.1 %Denmark: 47.2 %Dominican Republic: 39.6 %Algeria: 17.3 %Ecuador: 41.3 %Estonia: 48.5 %Egypt: 24.7 %Eritrea: 47.8 %Spain: 46.1 %Ethiopia: 45 %Finland: 48 %Fiji: 33.7 %France: 47.9 %Gabon: 39.8 %United Kingdom: 47 %Georgia: 48.4 %Ghana: 47.4 %Gambia: 47.2 %Guinea: 43.5 %Equatorial Guinea: 40.1 %Greece: 45 %Guatemala: 33.2 %Guinea-Bissau: 46.1 %Guyana: 40 %Hong Kong: 49.6 %Honduras: 36.2 %Croatia: 46.2 %Haiti: 47.6 %Hungary: 46.9 %Indonesia: 38.5 %Ireland: 45.5 %Israel: 47 %India: 24.4 %Iraq: 17.3 %Iran: 18.4 %Iceland: 46.9 %Italy: 42.3 %Jamaica: 45.1 %Jordan: 18.3 %Japan: 43.1 %Kenya: 48.5 %Kyrgyzstan: 39.8 %Cambodia: 48.4 %North Korea: 48.5 %South Korea: 42.1 %Kuwait: 26.3 %Kazakhstan: 49.5 %Laos: 46.8 %Lebanon: 28.9 %Sri Lanka: 34.3 %Liberia: 47.5 %Lesotho: 45.2 %Lithuania: 50.6 %Luxembourg: 45.4 %Latvia: 50.1 %Libya: 33.9 %Morocco: 24.9 %Moldova: 53.8 %Montenegro: 45.5 %Madagascar: 48.6 %North Macedonia: 39.6 %Mali: 42.3 %Myanmar: 39.3 %Mongolia: 45.5 %Mauritania: 33.3 %Mauritius: 38 %Malawi: 48.4 %Mexico: 37.9 %Malaysia: 37.2 %Mozambique: 52.6 %Namibia: 47.9 %New Caledonia: 46.6 %Niger: 41.4 %Nigeria: 46.7 %Nicaragua: 38.5 %Netherlands: 46.6 %Norway: 47.4 %Nepal: 36.4 %New Zealand: 47.1 %Oman: 13.2 %Panama: 39.7 %Peru: 45.3 %French Polynesia: 43.9 %Papua New Guinea: 47.4 %Philippines: 39.5 %Pakistan: 22 %Poland: 45 %Puerto Rico: 44.9 %Palestine: 20.3 %Portugal: 48.7 %Paraguay: 40.4 %Qatar: 13.5 %Romania: 43.1 %Serbia: 45.2 %Russia: 48.4 %Rwanda: 47.4 %Saudi Arabia: 12.7 %Solomon Islands: 48 %Sudan: 25.9 %Sweden: 47.5 %Singapore: 42.4 %Slovenia: 46.5 %Slovakia: 45.2 %Sierra Leone: 49.2 %Senegal: 39.1 %Somalia: 31 %Suriname: 40.1 %South Sudan: 49.9 %El Salvador: 41.7 %Syria: 17.2 %Eswatini: 47.7 %Chad: 41.2 %Togo: 50.2 %Thailand: 45.3 %Tajikistan: 30.2 %Timor-Leste: 45.5 %Turkmenistan: 47.1 %Tunisia: 28.4 %Türkiye: 31.3 %Trinidad and Tobago: 42.7 %Tanzania: 49 %Ukraine: 48.3 %Uganda: 49.7 %United States: 45 %Uruguay: 45.6 %Uzbekistan: 35.1 %Venezuela: 39.9 %Vietnam: 49.1 %Vanuatu: 45.3 %Samoa: 37.6 %Yemen: 7.9 %South Africa: 45.7 %Zambia: 45.1 %Zimbabwe: 50.2 %
  • Under 34
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%, 2016. 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, 2016

Moldova: 53.8 %Moldova53.8Mozambique: 52.6 %Mozambique52.6Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6Azerbaijan: 50.8 %Azerbaijan50.8Lithuania: 50.6 %Lithuania50.6Zimbabwe: 50.2 %Zimbabwe50.2Macao: 50.2 %Macao50.2Togo: 50.2 %Togo50.2U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.2 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.2Latvia: 50.1 %Latvia50.1Barbados: 50 %Barbados50South Sudan: 49.9 %South Sudan49.9Bahamas: 49.9 %Bahamas49.9Angola: 49.7 %Angola49.7Uganda: 49.7 %Uganda49.7Benin: 49.7 %Benin49.7Belarus: 49.6 %Belarus49.6Hong Kong: 49.6 %Hong Kong49.6Kazakhstan: 49.5 %Kazakhstan49.5Sierra Leone: 49.2 %Sierra Leone49.2Vietnam: 49.1 %Vietnam49.1Republic of the Congo: 49 %Republic of the Congo49Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Portugal: 48.7 %Portugal48.7Armenia: 48.7 %Armenia48.7Madagascar: 48.6 %Madagascar48.6North Korea: 48.5 %North Korea48.5Estonia: 48.5 %Estonia48.5Kenya: 48.5 %Kenya48.5Georgia: 48.4 %Georgia48.4Cambodia: 48.4 %Cambodia48.4Malawi: 48.4 %Malawi48.4Russia: 48.4 %Russia48.4Ukraine: 48.3 %Ukraine48.3Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.2Solomon Islands: 48 %Solomon Islands48São Tomé and Príncipe: 48 %São Tomé and Príncipe48Finland: 48 %Finland48France: 47.9 %France47.9Namibia: 47.9 %Namibia47.9Moldova: 53.8 %Moldova53.8Mozambique: 52.6 %Mozambique52.6Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6Azerbaijan: 50.8 %Azerbaijan50.8Lithuania: 50.6 %Lithuania50.6Zimbabwe: 50.2 %Zimbabwe50.2Macao: 50.2 %Macao50.2Togo: 50.2 %Togo50.2U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.2 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.2Latvia: 50.1 %Latvia50.1Barbados: 50 %Barbados50South Sudan: 49.9 %South Sudan49.9Bahamas: 49.9 %Bahamas49.9Angola: 49.7 %Angola49.7Uganda: 49.7 %Uganda49.7Benin: 49.7 %Benin49.7Belarus: 49.6 %Belarus49.6Hong Kong: 49.6 %Hong Kong49.6Kazakhstan: 49.5 %Kazakhstan49.5Sierra Leone: 49.2 %Sierra Leone49.2Vietnam: 49.1 %Vietnam49.1Republic of the Congo: 49 %Republic of the Congo49Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Portugal: 48.7 %Portugal48.7Armenia: 48.7 %Armenia48.7Madagascar: 48.6 %Madagascar48.6North Korea: 48.5 %North Korea48.5Estonia: 48.5 %Estonia48.5Kenya: 48.5 %Kenya48.5Georgia: 48.4 %Georgia48.4Cambodia: 48.4 %Cambodia48.4Malawi: 48.4 %Malawi48.4Russia: 48.4 %Russia48.4Ukraine: 48.3 %Ukraine48.3Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.2Solomon Islands: 48 %Solomon Islands48São Tomé and Príncipe: 48 %São Tomé and Príncipe48Finland: 48 %Finland48France: 47.9 %France47.9Namibia: 47.9 %Namibia47.9
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Moldova53.8-0 pts
2Mozambique52.6-0.1 pts
3Burundi51.6-0.1 pts
4Azerbaijan50.8-0.3 pts
5Lithuania50.6+0.1 pts
6Zimbabwe50.20 pts
7Macao50.2+0.3 pts
8Togo50.2-0.1 pts
9U.S. Virgin Islands50.2+0.1 pts
10Latvia50.1+0.5 pts
11Barbados50+0.1 pts
12South Sudan49.9-0 pts
13Bahamas49.9+0.2 pts
14Angola49.70 pts
15Uganda49.7-0.3 pts
16Benin49.7+0.1 pts
17Belarus49.6-0 pts
18Hong Kong49.6+0.2 pts
19Kazakhstan49.5-0.1 pts
20Sierra Leone49.2-0.5 pts
21Vietnam49.1-0 pts
22Republic of the Congo49-0.1 pts
23Tanzania49-0.1 pts
24Portugal48.7-0.1 pts
25Armenia48.7-0 pts
26Madagascar48.6+0.1 pts
27North Korea48.5-0.1 pts
28Estonia48.5-0.2 pts
29Kenya48.5-0 pts
30Georgia48.40 pts
31Cambodia48.4+0.3 pts
32Malawi48.4-0.1 pts
33Russia48.4-0 pts
34Ukraine48.3-0.3 pts
35Democratic Republic of the Congo48.20 pts
36Solomon Islands48-0 pts
37São Tomé and Príncipe48+0.2 pts
38Finland48-0.2 pts
39France47.9+0.1 pts
40Namibia47.9-0.7 pts
41Eritrea47.80 pts
42Burkina Faso47.8-0.1 pts
43Eswatini47.7+0.1 pts
44Haiti47.6+0.1 pts
45Sweden47.5-0.1 pts
46Liberia47.50 pts
47Ghana47.4+0.1 pts
48Papua New Guinea47.4-0 pts
49Norway47.40 pts
50Rwanda47.4+0.1 pts
51Denmark47.2+0.4 pts
52Gambia47.2-0.1 pts
53Turkmenistan47.10 pts
54New Zealand47.1-0.1 pts
55Israel47+0.1 pts
56Canada47+0.1 pts
57United Kingdom47+0.1 pts
58Hungary46.9-0.1 pts
59Iceland46.9-0.5 pts
60Laos46.80 pts
61Austria46.7-0 pts
62Nigeria46.70 pts
63Netherlands46.6+0.1 pts
64Central African Republic46.6-0 pts
65New Caledonia46.6+0.1 pts
66Switzerland46.6+0.1 pts
67Slovenia46.5+0.4 pts
68Australia46.4+0.3 pts
69Saint Lucia46.4+0.1 pts
70Germany46.20 pts
71Croatia46.2-0.3 pts
72Cameroon46.2-0.4 pts
73Bulgaria46.2-0.4 pts
74Spain46.1+0.1 pts
75Guinea-Bissau46.1+0.1 pts
76Belgium46-0.1 pts
77Botswana45.90 pts
78South Africa45.7-0.1 pts
79Uruguay45.6+0.2 pts
80Ireland45.5+0.3 pts
81Montenegro45.5-0.7 pts
82Timor-Leste45.50 pts
83Mongolia45.5-0.2 pts
84Cyprus45.4-0.3 pts
85Luxembourg45.4-0 pts
86Peru45.3+0.4 pts
87Vanuatu45.3+0.2 pts
88Thailand45.3-0 pts
89Slovakia45.2+0.2 pts
90Lesotho45.2-0.3 pts
91Serbia45.2+0.5 pts
92Jamaica45.1-0.3 pts
93Zambia45.1+0.1 pts
94Poland45-0.1 pts
95Greece45+0.1 pts
96United States45-0 pts
97Ethiopia45-0.4 pts
98Puerto Rico44.9+0.4 pts
99China44.7+0.1 pts
100Albania44.5+1.1 pts
101Guam44.4+0.1 pts
102Czechia44.2+0.1 pts
103French Polynesia43.9+0.2 pts
104Cape Verde43.60 pts
105Guinea43.5-0.7 pts
106Romania43.1-0.1 pts
107Japan43.1+0.3 pts
108Trinidad and Tobago42.7+0.7 pts
109Brazil42.5+0.2 pts
110Côte d’Ivoire42.4-0.7 pts
111Singapore42.4+0.4 pts
112Mali42.3-0.8 pts
113Italy42.3+0.2 pts
114Bolivia42.10 pts
115Colombia42.1-0 pts
116South Korea42.1+0.2 pts
117El Salvador41.7+0.2 pts
118Bosnia and Herzegovina41.4-0 pts
119Niger41.4-0.1 pts
120Ecuador41.3+1.4 pts
121Chile41.2+0.3 pts
122Argentina41.2+0.2 pts
123Chad41.2-0.2 pts
124Brunei41+0.1 pts
125Tonga40.7+0.2 pts
126Cuba40.6+0.2 pts
127Paraguay40.40 pts
128Equatorial Guinea40.1-0.1 pts
129Suriname40.1+0.3 pts
130Guyana40+0.8 pts
131Saint Vincent and the Grenadines40+0.3 pts
132Venezuela39.90 pts
133Gabon39.8-0.1 pts
134Kyrgyzstan39.8-0.9 pts
135Bhutan39.7+0.1 pts
136Panama39.7+0.2 pts
137North Macedonia39.6-0.7 pts
138Dominican Republic39.6+0.3 pts
139Philippines39.5-0.6 pts
140Malta39.4+0.7 pts
141Myanmar39.3-0.4 pts
142Costa Rica39.3-1.3 pts
143Senegal39.1+1.1 pts
144Comoros38.9+0.8 pts
145Nicaragua38.5+0.2 pts
146Indonesia38.5+0.3 pts
147Belize38.1+0.4 pts
148Mauritius38-0.4 pts
149Mexico37.9+0.2 pts
150Samoa37.6+0.2 pts
151Malaysia37.2+0.1 pts
152Nepal36.4+0.7 pts
153Honduras36.2-0.1 pts
154Uzbekistan35.10 pts
155Sri Lanka34.3-0.1 pts
156Libya33.9+0.1 pts
157Fiji33.7-0.9 pts
158Mauritania33.3+0.1 pts
159Guatemala33.2+0.9 pts
160Türkiye31.3+0.5 pts
161Somalia31+0.1 pts
162Bangladesh30.8+0.2 pts
163Tajikistan30.2-0.9 pts
164Lebanon28.9+0.8 pts
165Tunisia28.4+0.5 pts
166Djibouti28.1+0.4 pts
167Maldives26.5-0.5 pts
168Kuwait26.3-0.8 pts
169Sudan25.9-0.8 pts
170Morocco24.9-0.7 pts
171Egypt24.7+0.5 pts
172India24.4+0.1 pts
173Pakistan22-0.6 pts
174Afghanistan21.4+1.1 pts
175Bahrain20.9-0.6 pts
176United Arab Emirates20.3+0.4 pts
177Palestine20.3-0.5 pts
178Iran18.4+1.6 pts
179Jordan18.3+1.2 pts
180Algeria17.3-0.2 pts
181Iraq17.3+0.5 pts
182Syria17.2+0.1 pts
183Qatar13.5+0.1 pts
184Oman13.2-0.1 pts
185Saudi Arabia12.7+0.5 pts
186Yemen7.9-0.2 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, 2016) [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, 2016. 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=2016. 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, 2016. 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=2016.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS), Countries by women in the labour force, 2016 [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=2016 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_women_in_2016,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Labor force, female (\% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS): Countries by women in the labour force, 2016}},
  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=2016. 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, 2016
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=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries?period=2016.
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 2016, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest women in the labour force?

Yemen, with 7.9% in 2016.

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