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 2017, at 53.9%. Yemen had the lowest, at 7.7%. The median was 45.2% and the figure for the World was 39.5%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest53.9Moldova
Lowest7.7Yemen
Median45.2186 countries
World39.5History

Map of countries, 2017

United Arab Emirates: 21 %Afghanistan: 22.5 %Albania: 43.8 %Armenia: 48.7 %Angola: 49.8 %Argentina: 41.4 %Austria: 46.7 %Australia: 46.6 %Azerbaijan: 50.4 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 41.5 %Bangladesh: 32.4 %Belgium: 46 %Burkina Faso: 47.7 %Bulgaria: 46.5 %Burundi: 51.6 %Benin: 49.7 %Brunei: 41.1 %Bolivia: 43 %Brazil: 43.1 %Bahamas: 50.1 %Bhutan: 39.8 %Botswana: 46 %Belarus: 49.4 %Belize: 37.9 %Canada: 47 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Central African Republic: 46.7 %Republic of the Congo: 49 %Switzerland: 46.4 %Côte d’Ivoire: 42.3 %Chile: 41.6 %Cameroon: 45.8 %China: 44.8 %Colombia: 42 %Costa Rica: 39.1 %Cuba: 40.8 %Cape Verde: 43.6 %Cyprus: 45.5 %Czechia: 44.4 %Germany: 46.3 %Djibouti: 28.6 %Denmark: 47.2 %Dominican Republic: 39.8 %Algeria: 17.2 %Ecuador: 41.6 %Estonia: 48.5 %Egypt: 24.6 %Eritrea: 47.8 %Spain: 46.2 %Ethiopia: 44.6 %Finland: 47.9 %Fiji: 33.8 %France: 47.8 %Gabon: 39.7 %United Kingdom: 47.1 %Georgia: 48.5 %Ghana: 47.5 %Gambia: 47.4 %Guinea: 42.8 %Equatorial Guinea: 40.1 %Greece: 44.8 %Guatemala: 32.3 %Guinea-Bissau: 46.2 %Guyana: 40.8 %Hong Kong: 50 %Honduras: 35.5 %Croatia: 46.1 %Haiti: 47.7 %Hungary: 46.7 %Indonesia: 39.1 %Ireland: 45.7 %Israel: 47 %India: 24.5 %Iraq: 13.7 %Iran: 19.3 %Iceland: 46.6 %Italy: 42.4 %Jamaica: 45.3 %Jordan: 19.6 %Japan: 43.5 %Kenya: 48 %Kyrgyzstan: 38.1 %Cambodia: 48.9 %North Korea: 48.5 %South Korea: 42.3 %Kuwait: 25.5 %Kazakhstan: 49.4 %Laos: 46.8 %Lebanon: 29.7 %Sri Lanka: 34.9 %Liberia: 47.5 %Lesotho: 44.9 %Lithuania: 50.5 %Luxembourg: 46 %Latvia: 49.9 %Libya: 34 %Morocco: 24.6 %Moldova: 53.9 %Montenegro: 45.2 %Madagascar: 48.6 %North Macedonia: 40 %Mali: 41.5 %Myanmar: 38.9 %Mongolia: 45.4 %Mauritania: 33.4 %Mauritius: 38 %Malawi: 48.3 %Mexico: 37.7 %Malaysia: 37.2 %Mozambique: 52.5 %Namibia: 48.4 %New Caledonia: 46.7 %Niger: 41.2 %Nigeria: 46.8 %Nicaragua: 38.8 %Netherlands: 46.7 %Norway: 47.5 %Nepal: 36.9 %New Zealand: 46.9 %Oman: 13.2 %Panama: 39.9 %Peru: 45.5 %French Polynesia: 44.2 %Papua New Guinea: 47.4 %Philippines: 38.5 %Pakistan: 21.3 %Poland: 44.9 %Puerto Rico: 45.2 %Palestine: 20.4 %Portugal: 48.8 %Paraguay: 40.8 %Qatar: 13.9 %Romania: 43.4 %Serbia: 45.5 %Russia: 48.4 %Rwanda: 47.5 %Saudi Arabia: 11.5 %Solomon Islands: 48 %Sudan: 25.2 %Sweden: 47.5 %Singapore: 42.5 %Slovenia: 46.3 %Slovakia: 45.4 %Sierra Leone: 48.7 %Senegal: 38.9 %Somalia: 31.1 %Suriname: 40.3 %South Sudan: 49.8 %El Salvador: 41.3 %Syria: 17.4 %Eswatini: 47.9 %Chad: 40.9 %Togo: 50.2 %Thailand: 45.2 %Tajikistan: 29.7 %Timor-Leste: 45.5 %Turkmenistan: 47.2 %Tunisia: 28.4 %Türkiye: 31.9 %Trinidad and Tobago: 42.8 %Tanzania: 48.9 %Ukraine: 48 %Uganda: 49.3 %United States: 45.1 %Uruguay: 45.7 %Uzbekistan: 35.2 %Venezuela: 39.3 %Vietnam: 48.8 %Vanuatu: 45.5 %Samoa: 37.8 %Yemen: 7.7 %South Africa: 46.1 %Zambia: 45.2 %Zimbabwe: 50.3 %
  • Under 35
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%, 2017. 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, 2017

Moldova: 53.9 %Moldova53.9Mozambique: 52.5 %Mozambique52.5Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6Lithuania: 50.5 %Lithuania50.5Azerbaijan: 50.4 %Azerbaijan50.4Zimbabwe: 50.3 %Zimbabwe50.3Togo: 50.2 %Togo50.2U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.2 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.2Bahamas: 50.1 %Bahamas50.1Macao: 50 %Macao50Hong Kong: 50 %Hong Kong50Latvia: 49.9 %Latvia49.9Barbados: 49.8 %Barbados49.8South Sudan: 49.8 %South Sudan49.8Angola: 49.8 %Angola49.8Benin: 49.7 %Benin49.7Belarus: 49.4 %Belarus49.4Kazakhstan: 49.4 %Kazakhstan49.4Uganda: 49.3 %Uganda49.3Republic of the Congo: 49 %Republic of the Congo49Cambodia: 48.9 %Cambodia48.9Tanzania: 48.9 %Tanzania48.9Vietnam: 48.8 %Vietnam48.8Portugal: 48.8 %Portugal48.8Sierra Leone: 48.7 %Sierra Leone48.7Armenia: 48.7 %Armenia48.7Madagascar: 48.6 %Madagascar48.6Estonia: 48.5 %Estonia48.5North Korea: 48.5 %North Korea48.5Georgia: 48.5 %Georgia48.5Namibia: 48.4 %Namibia48.4São Tomé and Príncipe: 48.4 %São Tomé and Príncipe48.4Russia: 48.4 %Russia48.4Malawi: 48.3 %Malawi48.3Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.2Solomon Islands: 48 %Solomon Islands48Ukraine: 48 %Ukraine48Kenya: 48 %Kenya48Eswatini: 47.9 %Eswatini47.9Finland: 47.9 %Finland47.9Moldova: 53.9 %Moldova53.9Mozambique: 52.5 %Mozambique52.5Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6Lithuania: 50.5 %Lithuania50.5Azerbaijan: 50.4 %Azerbaijan50.4Zimbabwe: 50.3 %Zimbabwe50.3Togo: 50.2 %Togo50.2U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.2 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.2Bahamas: 50.1 %Bahamas50.1Macao: 50 %Macao50Hong Kong: 50 %Hong Kong50Latvia: 49.9 %Latvia49.9Barbados: 49.8 %Barbados49.8South Sudan: 49.8 %South Sudan49.8Angola: 49.8 %Angola49.8Benin: 49.7 %Benin49.7Belarus: 49.4 %Belarus49.4Kazakhstan: 49.4 %Kazakhstan49.4Uganda: 49.3 %Uganda49.3Republic of the Congo: 49 %Republic of the Congo49Cambodia: 48.9 %Cambodia48.9Tanzania: 48.9 %Tanzania48.9Vietnam: 48.8 %Vietnam48.8Portugal: 48.8 %Portugal48.8Sierra Leone: 48.7 %Sierra Leone48.7Armenia: 48.7 %Armenia48.7Madagascar: 48.6 %Madagascar48.6Estonia: 48.5 %Estonia48.5North Korea: 48.5 %North Korea48.5Georgia: 48.5 %Georgia48.5Namibia: 48.4 %Namibia48.4São Tomé and Príncipe: 48.4 %São Tomé and Príncipe48.4Russia: 48.4 %Russia48.4Malawi: 48.3 %Malawi48.3Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.2Solomon Islands: 48 %Solomon Islands48Ukraine: 48 %Ukraine48Kenya: 48 %Kenya48Eswatini: 47.9 %Eswatini47.9Finland: 47.9 %Finland47.9
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Moldova53.9+0.2 pts
2Mozambique52.5-0.1 pts
3Burundi51.6-0.1 pts
4Lithuania50.5-0.1 pts
5Azerbaijan50.4-0.4 pts
6Zimbabwe50.3+0.1 pts
7Togo50.2-0 pts
8U.S. Virgin Islands50.2-0 pts
9Bahamas50.1+0.2 pts
10Macao50-0.2 pts
11Hong Kong50+0.4 pts
12Latvia49.9-0.2 pts
13Barbados49.8-0.1 pts
14South Sudan49.8-0.2 pts
15Angola49.80 pts
16Benin49.7+0.1 pts
17Belarus49.4-0.2 pts
18Kazakhstan49.4-0.1 pts
19Uganda49.3-0.3 pts
20Republic of the Congo49-0 pts
21Cambodia48.9+0.5 pts
22Tanzania48.9-0 pts
23Vietnam48.8-0.3 pts
24Portugal48.8+0.1 pts
25Sierra Leone48.7-0.5 pts
26Armenia48.70 pts
27Madagascar48.6+0.1 pts
28Estonia48.50 pts
29North Korea48.5-0 pts
30Georgia48.50 pts
31Namibia48.4+0.5 pts
32São Tomé and Príncipe48.4+0.4 pts
33Russia48.4-0 pts
34Malawi48.3-0.1 pts
35Democratic Republic of the Congo48.2+0.1 pts
36Solomon Islands48-0 pts
37Ukraine48-0.3 pts
38Kenya48-0.5 pts
39Eswatini47.9+0.2 pts
40Finland47.9-0.1 pts
41France47.8-0.1 pts
42Eritrea47.8-0 pts
43Haiti47.7+0.1 pts
44Burkina Faso47.7-0.1 pts
45Norway47.5+0.1 pts
46Rwanda47.5+0.1 pts
47Liberia47.50 pts
48Ghana47.5+0.1 pts
49Sweden47.5-0.1 pts
50Papua New Guinea47.40 pts
51Gambia47.4+0.1 pts
52Denmark47.2-0 pts
53Turkmenistan47.20 pts
54United Kingdom47.1+0.1 pts
55Canada470 pts
56Israel47-0 pts
57New Zealand46.9-0.1 pts
58Laos46.80 pts
59Nigeria46.8+0.1 pts
60Netherlands46.7+0.1 pts
61Austria46.7-0 pts
62New Caledonia46.7+0.1 pts
63Central African Republic46.7+0.1 pts
64Hungary46.7-0.3 pts
65Australia46.6+0.2 pts
66Iceland46.6-0.3 pts
67Bulgaria46.5+0.3 pts
68Saint Lucia46.4+0.1 pts
69Switzerland46.4-0.1 pts
70Germany46.3+0.1 pts
71Slovenia46.3-0.2 pts
72Guinea-Bissau46.2+0.1 pts
73Spain46.2+0.1 pts
74Croatia46.1-0.1 pts
75South Africa46.1+0.4 pts
76Belgium460 pts
77Botswana460 pts
78Luxembourg46+0.6 pts
79Cameroon45.8-0.4 pts
80Ireland45.7+0.2 pts
81Uruguay45.7+0.1 pts
82Timor-Leste45.50 pts
83Cyprus45.5+0.1 pts
84Vanuatu45.5+0.2 pts
85Peru45.5+0.2 pts
86Serbia45.5+0.3 pts
87Slovakia45.4+0.2 pts
88Mongolia45.4-0.1 pts
89Jamaica45.3+0.2 pts
90Montenegro45.2-0.3 pts
91Puerto Rico45.2+0.4 pts
92Zambia45.2+0.1 pts
93Thailand45.2-0.1 pts
94United States45.1+0.1 pts
95Poland44.9-0.1 pts
96Lesotho44.9-0.3 pts
97Greece44.8-0.2 pts
98China44.8+0.1 pts
99Ethiopia44.6-0.4 pts
100Guam44.5+0.1 pts
101Czechia44.4+0.1 pts
102French Polynesia44.2+0.3 pts
103Albania43.8-0.7 pts
104Cape Verde43.60 pts
105Japan43.5+0.4 pts
106Romania43.4+0.3 pts
107Brazil43.1+0.5 pts
108Bolivia43+0.8 pts
109Guinea42.8-0.7 pts
110Trinidad and Tobago42.8+0.1 pts
111Singapore42.5+0.2 pts
112Italy42.4+0.2 pts
113Côte d’Ivoire42.3-0 pts
114South Korea42.3+0.2 pts
115Colombia42-0 pts
116Ecuador41.6+0.3 pts
117Chile41.6+0.4 pts
118Mali41.5-0.8 pts
119Bosnia and Herzegovina41.5+0.1 pts
120Argentina41.4+0.2 pts
121El Salvador41.3-0.4 pts
122Niger41.2-0.1 pts
123Brunei41.1+0.1 pts
124Tonga41+0.3 pts
125Chad40.9-0.2 pts
126Guyana40.8+0.8 pts
127Cuba40.8+0.2 pts
128Paraguay40.8+0.4 pts
129Suriname40.3+0.2 pts
130Saint Vincent and the Grenadines40.3+0.3 pts
131Equatorial Guinea40.1-0.1 pts
132North Macedonia40+0.4 pts
133Panama39.9+0.3 pts
134Malta39.8+0.4 pts
135Bhutan39.8+0.1 pts
136Dominican Republic39.8+0.2 pts
137Comoros39.8+0.9 pts
138Gabon39.7-0.1 pts
139Venezuela39.3-0.5 pts
140Costa Rica39.1-0.2 pts
141Indonesia39.1+0.5 pts
142Senegal38.9-0.2 pts
143Myanmar38.9-0.4 pts
144Nicaragua38.8+0.2 pts
145Philippines38.5-1.1 pts
146Kyrgyzstan38.1-1.6 pts
147Mauritius38+0.1 pts
148Belize37.9-0.3 pts
149Samoa37.8+0.2 pts
150Mexico37.7-0.1 pts
151Malaysia37.2+0.1 pts
152Nepal36.9+0.6 pts
153Honduras35.5-0.7 pts
154Uzbekistan35.2+0.1 pts
155Sri Lanka34.9+0.7 pts
156Libya340 pts
157Fiji33.8+0.1 pts
158Mauritania33.4+0.1 pts
159Bangladesh32.4+1.7 pts
160Guatemala32.3-0.9 pts
161Türkiye31.9+0.6 pts
162Somalia31.1+0.1 pts
163Lebanon29.7+0.8 pts
164Tajikistan29.7-0.5 pts
165Djibouti28.6+0.4 pts
166Tunisia28.4-0 pts
167Kuwait25.5-0.8 pts
168Maldives25.5-1 pts
169Sudan25.2-0.8 pts
170Egypt24.6-0.1 pts
171Morocco24.6-0.3 pts
172India24.5+0.1 pts
173Afghanistan22.5+1.1 pts
174Pakistan21.3-0.6 pts
175United Arab Emirates21+0.7 pts
176Bahrain20.5-0.5 pts
177Palestine20.4+0.2 pts
178Jordan19.6+1.3 pts
179Iran19.3+0.9 pts
180Syria17.4+0.2 pts
181Algeria17.2-0.1 pts
182Qatar13.9+0.5 pts
183Iraq13.7-3.5 pts
184Oman13.2-0.1 pts
185Saudi Arabia11.5-1.2 pts
186Yemen7.7-0.2 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, 2017) [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, 2017. 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=2017. 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, 2017. 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=2017.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS), Countries by women in the labour force, 2017 [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=2017 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_women_in_2017,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Labor force, female (\% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS): Countries by women in the labour force, 2017}},
  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=2017. 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, 2017
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=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries?period=2017.
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 53.9% in 2017, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest women in the labour force?

Yemen, with 7.7% in 2017.

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