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 2018, at 54.3%. Yemen had the lowest, at 7.6%. The median was 45% and the figure for the World was 39.6%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest54.3Moldova
Lowest7.6Yemen
Median45186 countries
World39.6History

Map of countries, 2018

United Arab Emirates: 21.1 %Afghanistan: 21.8 %Albania: 44.3 %Armenia: 48.6 %Angola: 49.8 %Argentina: 42 %Austria: 46.6 %Australia: 46.8 %Azerbaijan: 50.2 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 41.5 %Bangladesh: 33.3 %Belgium: 46.5 %Burkina Faso: 47.7 %Bulgaria: 46.2 %Burundi: 51.6 %Benin: 49.8 %Brunei: 40.4 %Bolivia: 44.2 %Brazil: 43.3 %Bahamas: 50.2 %Bhutan: 39.9 %Botswana: 46 %Belarus: 49 %Belize: 40 %Canada: 47.1 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Central African Republic: 46.7 %Republic of the Congo: 49 %Switzerland: 46.6 %Côte d’Ivoire: 42.3 %Chile: 41.9 %Cameroon: 45.3 %China: 44.9 %Colombia: 41.7 %Costa Rica: 39.8 %Cuba: 41 %Cape Verde: 43.3 %Cyprus: 45.4 %Czechia: 44.5 %Germany: 46.2 %Djibouti: 29 %Denmark: 47.1 %Dominican Republic: 39.9 %Algeria: 17.1 %Ecuador: 41.2 %Estonia: 48.4 %Egypt: 21.2 %Eritrea: 47.9 %Spain: 46.2 %Ethiopia: 44.1 %Finland: 47.9 %Fiji: 33.9 %France: 47.9 %Gabon: 39.7 %United Kingdom: 47.2 %Georgia: 47.7 %Ghana: 47.5 %Gambia: 47.6 %Guinea: 42.1 %Equatorial Guinea: 40 %Greece: 44.6 %Guatemala: 32.3 %Guinea-Bissau: 46.3 %Guyana: 41.1 %Hong Kong: 50 %Honduras: 37.6 %Croatia: 46.3 %Haiti: 47.8 %Hungary: 46.7 %Indonesia: 39.4 %Ireland: 45.9 %Israel: 47.4 %India: 24.6 %Iraq: 14.1 %Iran: 19.2 %Iceland: 46.1 %Italy: 42.5 %Jamaica: 45.2 %Jordan: 17.8 %Japan: 43.9 %Kenya: 47.5 %Kyrgyzstan: 38.6 %Cambodia: 48.9 %North Korea: 48.5 %South Korea: 42.6 %Kuwait: 24.7 %Kazakhstan: 49.1 %Laos: 46.8 %Lebanon: 30.5 %Sri Lanka: 33.5 %Liberia: 47.5 %Lesotho: 44.6 %Lithuania: 50.1 %Luxembourg: 46.1 %Latvia: 49.9 %Libya: 34 %Morocco: 24.2 %Moldova: 54.3 %Montenegro: 44.7 %Madagascar: 48.7 %North Macedonia: 40.4 %Mali: 40.4 %Myanmar: 39.3 %Mongolia: 44 %Mauritania: 33.5 %Mauritius: 38.3 %Malawi: 48.5 %Mexico: 38.1 %Malaysia: 37.2 %Mozambique: 52.4 %Namibia: 48.9 %New Caledonia: 46.9 %Niger: 41.1 %Nigeria: 46.9 %Nicaragua: 38.6 %Netherlands: 46.7 %Norway: 47.3 %Nepal: 37.4 %New Zealand: 47 %Oman: 13.4 %Panama: 40.6 %Peru: 45.7 %French Polynesia: 44.1 %Papua New Guinea: 47.4 %Philippines: 39 %Pakistan: 20.7 %Poland: 45.1 %Puerto Rico: 45.6 %Palestine: 20.7 %Portugal: 49 %Paraguay: 41.4 %Qatar: 14.6 %Romania: 43.2 %Serbia: 45.4 %Russia: 48.5 %Rwanda: 47 %Saudi Arabia: 12.8 %Solomon Islands: 48 %Sudan: 24.3 %Sweden: 47.5 %Singapore: 43 %Slovenia: 46 %Slovakia: 45.2 %Sierra Leone: 48.2 %Senegal: 37.9 %Somalia: 31.2 %Suriname: 40.8 %South Sudan: 49.9 %El Salvador: 41.2 %Syria: 17.6 %Eswatini: 48.2 %Chad: 40.7 %Togo: 50.2 %Thailand: 45.2 %Tajikistan: 29.2 %Timor-Leste: 45.6 %Turkmenistan: 47.2 %Tunisia: 28.7 %Türkiye: 32.2 %Trinidad and Tobago: 42.7 %Tanzania: 48.9 %Ukraine: 47.7 %Uganda: 49 %United States: 45.1 %Uruguay: 45.9 %Uzbekistan: 35.2 %Venezuela: 39.4 %Vietnam: 48.7 %Vanuatu: 45.7 %Samoa: 37.6 %Yemen: 7.6 %South Africa: 46.1 %Zambia: 45.4 %Zimbabwe: 50.4 %
  • Under 34
  • 34 to 41
  • 41 to 45
  • 45 to 47
  • 47 to 48
  • 48 and over
  • No data
%, 2018. 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, 2018

Moldova: 54.3 %Moldova54.3Mozambique: 52.4 %Mozambique52.4Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6Zimbabwe: 50.4 %Zimbabwe50.4U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.3 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.3Bahamas: 50.2 %Bahamas50.2Togo: 50.2 %Togo50.2Azerbaijan: 50.2 %Azerbaijan50.2Lithuania: 50.1 %Lithuania50.1Macao: 50.1 %Macao50.1Hong Kong: 50 %Hong Kong50South Sudan: 49.9 %South Sudan49.9Latvia: 49.9 %Latvia49.9Benin: 49.8 %Benin49.8Angola: 49.8 %Angola49.8Barbados: 49.4 %Barbados49.4Kazakhstan: 49.1 %Kazakhstan49.1Belarus: 49 %Belarus49Republic of the Congo: 49 %Republic of the Congo49Portugal: 49 %Portugal49Uganda: 49 %Uganda49Namibia: 48.9 %Namibia48.9Cambodia: 48.9 %Cambodia48.9Tanzania: 48.9 %Tanzania48.9São Tomé and Príncipe: 48.9 %São Tomé and Príncipe48.9Vietnam: 48.7 %Vietnam48.7Madagascar: 48.7 %Madagascar48.7Armenia: 48.6 %Armenia48.6North Korea: 48.5 %North Korea48.5Malawi: 48.5 %Malawi48.5Russia: 48.5 %Russia48.5Estonia: 48.4 %Estonia48.4Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.2Sierra Leone: 48.2 %Sierra Leone48.2Eswatini: 48.2 %Eswatini48.2Solomon Islands: 48 %Solomon Islands48France: 47.9 %France47.9Finland: 47.9 %Finland47.9Eritrea: 47.9 %Eritrea47.9Haiti: 47.8 %Haiti47.8Moldova: 54.3 %Moldova54.3Mozambique: 52.4 %Mozambique52.4Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6Zimbabwe: 50.4 %Zimbabwe50.4U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.3 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.3Bahamas: 50.2 %Bahamas50.2Togo: 50.2 %Togo50.2Azerbaijan: 50.2 %Azerbaijan50.2Lithuania: 50.1 %Lithuania50.1Macao: 50.1 %Macao50.1Hong Kong: 50 %Hong Kong50South Sudan: 49.9 %South Sudan49.9Latvia: 49.9 %Latvia49.9Benin: 49.8 %Benin49.8Angola: 49.8 %Angola49.8Barbados: 49.4 %Barbados49.4Kazakhstan: 49.1 %Kazakhstan49.1Belarus: 49 %Belarus49Republic of the Congo: 49 %Republic of the Congo49Portugal: 49 %Portugal49Uganda: 49 %Uganda49Namibia: 48.9 %Namibia48.9Cambodia: 48.9 %Cambodia48.9Tanzania: 48.9 %Tanzania48.9São Tomé and Príncipe: 48.9 %São Tomé and Príncipe48.9Vietnam: 48.7 %Vietnam48.7Madagascar: 48.7 %Madagascar48.7Armenia: 48.6 %Armenia48.6North Korea: 48.5 %North Korea48.5Malawi: 48.5 %Malawi48.5Russia: 48.5 %Russia48.5Estonia: 48.4 %Estonia48.4Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.2Sierra Leone: 48.2 %Sierra Leone48.2Eswatini: 48.2 %Eswatini48.2Solomon Islands: 48 %Solomon Islands48France: 47.9 %France47.9Finland: 47.9 %Finland47.9Eritrea: 47.9 %Eritrea47.9Haiti: 47.8 %Haiti47.8
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Moldova54.3+0.3 pts
2Mozambique52.4-0.1 pts
3Burundi51.60 pts
4Zimbabwe50.4+0.1 pts
5U.S. Virgin Islands50.3+0.1 pts
6Bahamas50.2+0.2 pts
7Togo50.2+0.1 pts
8Azerbaijan50.2-0.2 pts
9Lithuania50.1-0.3 pts
10Macao50.1+0.1 pts
11Hong Kong500 pts
12South Sudan49.9+0.2 pts
13Latvia49.9-0 pts
14Benin49.8+0.1 pts
15Angola49.80 pts
16Barbados49.4-0.4 pts
17Kazakhstan49.1-0.2 pts
18Belarus49-0.4 pts
19Republic of the Congo490 pts
20Portugal49+0.2 pts
21Uganda49-0.3 pts
22Namibia48.9+0.5 pts
23Cambodia48.9-0 pts
24Tanzania48.90 pts
25São Tomé and Príncipe48.9+0.5 pts
26Vietnam48.7-0.1 pts
27Madagascar48.70 pts
28Armenia48.6-0.1 pts
29North Korea48.50 pts
30Malawi48.5+0.2 pts
31Russia48.5+0.1 pts
32Estonia48.4-0.1 pts
33Democratic Republic of the Congo48.20 pts
34Sierra Leone48.2-0.5 pts
35Eswatini48.2+0.3 pts
36Solomon Islands48-0 pts
37France47.9+0.1 pts
38Finland47.90 pts
39Eritrea47.9+0.1 pts
40Haiti47.8+0.1 pts
41Ukraine47.7-0.3 pts
42Georgia47.7-0.8 pts
43Burkina Faso47.7-0.1 pts
44Gambia47.6+0.3 pts
45Liberia47.50 pts
46Sweden47.50 pts
47Ghana47.50 pts
48Kenya47.5-0.5 pts
49Israel47.4+0.5 pts
50Papua New Guinea47.40 pts
51Norway47.3-0.2 pts
52Turkmenistan47.20 pts
53United Kingdom47.20 pts
54Canada47.1+0.1 pts
55Denmark47.1-0.1 pts
56Rwanda47-0.5 pts
57New Zealand47+0.1 pts
58Nigeria46.9+0.1 pts
59New Caledonia46.9+0.2 pts
60Australia46.8+0.2 pts
61Laos46.8-0.1 pts
62Central African Republic46.7+0.1 pts
63Netherlands46.7-0 pts
64Hungary46.7-0 pts
65Switzerland46.6+0.2 pts
66Austria46.6-0.1 pts
67Belgium46.5+0.4 pts
68Croatia46.3+0.2 pts
69Guinea-Bissau46.3+0.1 pts
70Saint Lucia46.3-0.2 pts
71Germany46.2-0.1 pts
72Bulgaria46.2-0.3 pts
73Spain46.2-0 pts
74Luxembourg46.1+0.2 pts
75Iceland46.1-0.4 pts
76South Africa46.1-0 pts
77Botswana460 pts
78Slovenia46-0.3 pts
79Ireland45.9+0.2 pts
80Uruguay45.9+0.2 pts
81Vanuatu45.7+0.2 pts
82Peru45.7+0.2 pts
83Puerto Rico45.6+0.4 pts
84Timor-Leste45.60 pts
85Serbia45.4-0 pts
86Zambia45.4+0.2 pts
87Cyprus45.4-0.1 pts
88Cameroon45.3-0.4 pts
89Jamaica45.2-0.1 pts
90Thailand45.20 pts
91Slovakia45.2-0.2 pts
92United States45.1-0 pts
93Poland45.1+0.1 pts
94China44.9+0.1 pts
95Montenegro44.7-0.5 pts
96Lesotho44.6-0.3 pts
97Greece44.6-0.3 pts
98Guam44.50 pts
99Czechia44.5+0.1 pts
100Albania44.3+0.5 pts
101Bolivia44.2+1.2 pts
102Ethiopia44.1-0.4 pts
103French Polynesia44.1-0.1 pts
104Mongolia44-1.3 pts
105Japan43.9+0.4 pts
106Cape Verde43.3-0.3 pts
107Brazil43.3+0.2 pts
108Romania43.2-0.3 pts
109Singapore43+0.4 pts
110Trinidad and Tobago42.7-0.1 pts
111South Korea42.6+0.2 pts
112Italy42.50 pts
113Côte d’Ivoire42.3-0 pts
114Guinea42.1-0.7 pts
115Argentina42+0.7 pts
116Chile41.9+0.4 pts
117Colombia41.7-0.4 pts
118Bosnia and Herzegovina41.50 pts
119Paraguay41.4+0.6 pts
120Tonga41.4+0.4 pts
121El Salvador41.2-0 pts
122Ecuador41.2-0.4 pts
123Niger41.1-0.1 pts
124Guyana41.1+0.2 pts
125Cuba41+0.2 pts
126Suriname40.8+0.4 pts
127Chad40.7-0.2 pts
128Comoros40.7+0.9 pts
129Saint Vincent and the Grenadines40.6+0.4 pts
130Panama40.6+0.7 pts
131Brunei40.4-0.6 pts
132Mali40.4-1.1 pts
133North Macedonia40.4+0.4 pts
134Malta40.1+0.3 pts
135Belize40+2.2 pts
136Equatorial Guinea40-0 pts
137Bhutan39.9+0.1 pts
138Dominican Republic39.9+0.1 pts
139Costa Rica39.8+0.8 pts
140Gabon39.7-0 pts
141Indonesia39.4+0.3 pts
142Venezuela39.40 pts
143Myanmar39.3+0.4 pts
144Philippines39+0.5 pts
145Nicaragua38.6-0.1 pts
146Kyrgyzstan38.6+0.4 pts
147Mauritius38.3+0.3 pts
148Mexico38.1+0.3 pts
149Senegal37.9-1 pts
150Honduras37.6+2.1 pts
151Samoa37.6-0.2 pts
152Nepal37.4+0.4 pts
153Malaysia37.2-0 pts
154Uzbekistan35.20 pts
155Libya340 pts
156Fiji33.9+0.1 pts
157Mauritania33.50 pts
158Sri Lanka33.5-1.5 pts
159Bangladesh33.3+0.9 pts
160Guatemala32.30 pts
161Türkiye32.2+0.3 pts
162Somalia31.2+0.1 pts
163Lebanon30.5+0.8 pts
164Tajikistan29.2-0.5 pts
165Djibouti29+0.5 pts
166Tunisia28.7+0.3 pts
167Kuwait24.7-0.8 pts
168India24.6+0.1 pts
169Maldives24.5-1 pts
170Sudan24.3-0.8 pts
171Morocco24.2-0.4 pts
172Afghanistan21.8-0.7 pts
173Egypt21.2-3.4 pts
174United Arab Emirates21.1+0.2 pts
175Pakistan20.7-0.6 pts
176Palestine20.7+0.3 pts
177Bahrain20.50 pts
178Iran19.2-0.1 pts
179Jordan17.8-1.8 pts
180Syria17.6+0.3 pts
181Algeria17.1-0.1 pts
182Qatar14.6+0.7 pts
183Iraq14.1+0.3 pts
184Oman13.4+0.2 pts
185Saudi Arabia12.8+1.3 pts
186Yemen7.6-0.1 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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS), Countries by women in the labour force, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_women_in_2018,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Labor force, female (\% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS): Countries by women in the labour force, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries?period=2018.
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 54.3% in 2018, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest women in the labour force?

Yemen, with 7.6% in 2018.

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