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 2019, at 54.1%. Yemen had the lowest, at 7.5%. The median was 44.9% and the figure for the World was 39.6%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest54.1Moldova
Lowest7.5Yemen
Median44.9186 countries
World39.6History

Map of countries, 2019

United Arab Emirates: 22.4 %Afghanistan: 20.9 %Albania: 44.8 %Armenia: 47.9 %Angola: 49.8 %Argentina: 42.3 %Austria: 46.7 %Australia: 46.9 %Azerbaijan: 50 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 41.6 %Bangladesh: 34.1 %Belgium: 46.5 %Burkina Faso: 47.6 %Bulgaria: 46.2 %Burundi: 51.6 %Benin: 49.9 %Brunei: 39.5 %Bolivia: 44.6 %Brazil: 43.6 %Bahamas: 50.4 %Bhutan: 41.8 %Botswana: 46.1 %Belarus: 49.3 %Belize: 40.8 %Canada: 47.1 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Central African Republic: 47 %Republic of the Congo: 49.1 %Switzerland: 46.8 %Côte d’Ivoire: 42.3 %Chile: 42.2 %Cameroon: 44.9 %China: 45 %Colombia: 41.6 %Costa Rica: 41.8 %Cuba: 41.1 %Cape Verde: 43.4 %Cyprus: 45.2 %Czechia: 44.4 %Germany: 46.3 %Djibouti: 29.5 %Denmark: 47 %Dominican Republic: 40.8 %Algeria: 17 %Ecuador: 41.5 %Estonia: 48.6 %Egypt: 18.7 %Eritrea: 48 %Spain: 46.3 %Ethiopia: 43.7 %Finland: 47.9 %Fiji: 34 %France: 48.1 %Gabon: 39.7 %United Kingdom: 47.5 %Georgia: 47.6 %Ghana: 47.5 %Gambia: 47.9 %Guinea: 41.4 %Equatorial Guinea: 40.1 %Greece: 44.6 %Guatemala: 31.9 %Guinea-Bissau: 46.5 %Guyana: 41 %Hong Kong: 50.4 %Honduras: 35.2 %Croatia: 46.1 %Haiti: 47.8 %Hungary: 46.3 %Indonesia: 39.6 %Ireland: 45.9 %Israel: 47.5 %India: 24.7 %Iraq: 14.5 %Iran: 18.8 %Iceland: 46 %Italy: 42.6 %Jamaica: 45.4 %Jordan: 16.6 %Japan: 44.2 %Kenya: 46.9 %Kyrgyzstan: 38.4 %Cambodia: 48.9 %North Korea: 48.5 %South Korea: 42.9 %Kuwait: 24.5 %Kazakhstan: 48.8 %Laos: 46.7 %Lebanon: 31.3 %Sri Lanka: 34.1 %Liberia: 47.6 %Lesotho: 44.4 %Lithuania: 50.1 %Luxembourg: 45.6 %Latvia: 49.9 %Libya: 34 %Morocco: 23.7 %Moldova: 54.1 %Montenegro: 45.2 %Madagascar: 48.7 %North Macedonia: 41.8 %Mali: 39.3 %Myanmar: 38.7 %Mongolia: 44.8 %Mauritania: 33.5 %Mauritius: 38.6 %Malawi: 48.6 %Mexico: 38.9 %Malaysia: 37.1 %Mozambique: 52.3 %Namibia: 48.8 %New Caledonia: 47 %Niger: 41 %Nigeria: 47 %Nicaragua: 38.6 %Netherlands: 46.9 %Norway: 47.3 %Nepal: 37.1 %New Zealand: 47.3 %Oman: 14 %Panama: 41.4 %Peru: 45.7 %French Polynesia: 44 %Papua New Guinea: 47.4 %Philippines: 39.6 %Pakistan: 22.1 %Poland: 44.9 %Puerto Rico: 46 %Palestine: 21.1 %Portugal: 49.1 %Paraguay: 41.7 %Qatar: 15.5 %Romania: 43 %Serbia: 45.7 %Russia: 48.5 %Rwanda: 46.5 %Saudi Arabia: 14.1 %Solomon Islands: 48 %Sudan: 23.4 %Sweden: 47.4 %Singapore: 43.2 %Slovenia: 45.9 %Slovakia: 45.2 %Sierra Leone: 48.4 %Senegal: 37 %Somalia: 31.3 %Suriname: 40.9 %South Sudan: 50.3 %El Salvador: 41.4 %Syria: 17.9 %Eswatini: 48.4 %Chad: 40.8 %Togo: 50.4 %Thailand: 45.3 %Tajikistan: 28.8 %Timor-Leste: 45.6 %Turkmenistan: 47.2 %Tunisia: 29.1 %Türkiye: 32.6 %Trinidad and Tobago: 42.7 %Tanzania: 49 %Ukraine: 47.4 %Uganda: 48.9 %United States: 45.2 %Uruguay: 46 %Uzbekistan: 35.3 %Venezuela: 39.3 %Vietnam: 48.3 %Vanuatu: 46 %Samoa: 37.5 %Yemen: 7.5 %South Africa: 45.9 %Zambia: 44.6 %Zimbabwe: 50.4 %
  • Under 34
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%, 2019. 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, 2019

Moldova: 54.1 %Moldova54.1Mozambique: 52.3 %Mozambique52.3Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6Zimbabwe: 50.4 %Zimbabwe50.4U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.4 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.4Togo: 50.4 %Togo50.4Hong Kong: 50.4 %Hong Kong50.4Bahamas: 50.4 %Bahamas50.4South Sudan: 50.3 %South Sudan50.3Macao: 50.2 %Macao50.2Lithuania: 50.1 %Lithuania50.1Azerbaijan: 50 %Azerbaijan50Barbados: 50 %Barbados50Benin: 49.9 %Benin49.9Latvia: 49.9 %Latvia49.9Angola: 49.8 %Angola49.8São Tomé and Príncipe: 49.4 %São Tomé and Príncipe49.4Belarus: 49.3 %Belarus49.3Portugal: 49.1 %Portugal49.1Republic of the Congo: 49.1 %Republic of the Congo49.1Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Cambodia: 48.9 %Cambodia48.9Uganda: 48.9 %Uganda48.9Namibia: 48.8 %Namibia48.8Kazakhstan: 48.8 %Kazakhstan48.8Madagascar: 48.7 %Madagascar48.7Malawi: 48.6 %Malawi48.6Estonia: 48.6 %Estonia48.6Russia: 48.5 %Russia48.5North Korea: 48.5 %North Korea48.5Eswatini: 48.4 %Eswatini48.4Sierra Leone: 48.4 %Sierra Leone48.4Vietnam: 48.3 %Vietnam48.3Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.2France: 48.1 %France48.1Solomon Islands: 48 %Solomon Islands48Eritrea: 48 %Eritrea48Finland: 47.9 %Finland47.9Armenia: 47.9 %Armenia47.9Gambia: 47.9 %Gambia47.9Moldova: 54.1 %Moldova54.1Mozambique: 52.3 %Mozambique52.3Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6Zimbabwe: 50.4 %Zimbabwe50.4U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.4 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.4Togo: 50.4 %Togo50.4Hong Kong: 50.4 %Hong Kong50.4Bahamas: 50.4 %Bahamas50.4South Sudan: 50.3 %South Sudan50.3Macao: 50.2 %Macao50.2Lithuania: 50.1 %Lithuania50.1Azerbaijan: 50 %Azerbaijan50Barbados: 50 %Barbados50Benin: 49.9 %Benin49.9Latvia: 49.9 %Latvia49.9Angola: 49.8 %Angola49.8São Tomé and Príncipe: 49.4 %São Tomé and Príncipe49.4Belarus: 49.3 %Belarus49.3Portugal: 49.1 %Portugal49.1Republic of the Congo: 49.1 %Republic of the Congo49.1Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Cambodia: 48.9 %Cambodia48.9Uganda: 48.9 %Uganda48.9Namibia: 48.8 %Namibia48.8Kazakhstan: 48.8 %Kazakhstan48.8Madagascar: 48.7 %Madagascar48.7Malawi: 48.6 %Malawi48.6Estonia: 48.6 %Estonia48.6Russia: 48.5 %Russia48.5North Korea: 48.5 %North Korea48.5Eswatini: 48.4 %Eswatini48.4Sierra Leone: 48.4 %Sierra Leone48.4Vietnam: 48.3 %Vietnam48.3Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.2France: 48.1 %France48.1Solomon Islands: 48 %Solomon Islands48Eritrea: 48 %Eritrea48Finland: 47.9 %Finland47.9Armenia: 47.9 %Armenia47.9Gambia: 47.9 %Gambia47.9
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2019 (%)Change on 2018
1Moldova54.1-0.2 pts
2Mozambique52.3-0.1 pts
3Burundi51.6+0.1 pts
4Zimbabwe50.4+0.1 pts
5U.S. Virgin Islands50.4+0.2 pts
6Togo50.4+0.2 pts
7Hong Kong50.4+0.4 pts
8Bahamas50.4+0.2 pts
9South Sudan50.3+0.4 pts
10Macao50.2+0.1 pts
11Lithuania50.1-0 pts
12Azerbaijan50-0.2 pts
13Barbados50+0.5 pts
14Benin49.9+0.1 pts
15Latvia49.9-0 pts
16Angola49.80 pts
17São Tomé and Príncipe49.4+0.6 pts
18Belarus49.3+0.3 pts
19Portugal49.1+0.1 pts
20Republic of the Congo49.1+0.1 pts
21Tanzania49+0.1 pts
22Cambodia48.9-0 pts
23Uganda48.9-0.1 pts
24Namibia48.8-0.2 pts
25Kazakhstan48.8-0.4 pts
26Madagascar48.70 pts
27Malawi48.6+0.2 pts
28Estonia48.6+0.2 pts
29Russia48.50 pts
30North Korea48.5-0 pts
31Eswatini48.4+0.3 pts
32Sierra Leone48.4+0.2 pts
33Vietnam48.3-0.4 pts
34Democratic Republic of the Congo48.2-0 pts
35France48.1+0.1 pts
36Solomon Islands480 pts
37Eritrea48+0.1 pts
38Finland47.9+0.1 pts
39Armenia47.9-0.7 pts
40Gambia47.9+0.2 pts
41Haiti47.8-0 pts
42Burkina Faso47.6-0 pts
43Georgia47.6-0.1 pts
44Liberia47.60 pts
45United Kingdom47.5+0.4 pts
46Israel47.5+0.1 pts
47Ghana47.50 pts
48Papua New Guinea47.4-0 pts
49Ukraine47.4-0.3 pts
50Sweden47.4-0.1 pts
51Saint Lucia47.4+1.1 pts
52Norway47.3-0 pts
53New Zealand47.3+0.2 pts
54Turkmenistan47.20 pts
55Canada47.10 pts
56New Caledonia47+0.2 pts
57Central African Republic47+0.3 pts
58Denmark47-0.1 pts
59Nigeria47+0.1 pts
60Australia46.9+0.1 pts
61Netherlands46.9+0.1 pts
62Kenya46.9-0.6 pts
63Switzerland46.8+0.2 pts
64Laos46.7-0.1 pts
65Austria46.7+0.1 pts
66Belgium46.5+0.1 pts
67Guinea-Bissau46.5+0.2 pts
68Rwanda46.5-0.5 pts
69Spain46.3+0.2 pts
70Germany46.3+0.1 pts
71Hungary46.3-0.4 pts
72Bulgaria46.2+0.1 pts
73Croatia46.1-0.2 pts
74Botswana46.10 pts
75Uruguay46+0.2 pts
76Iceland46-0.1 pts
77Puerto Rico46+0.4 pts
78Vanuatu46+0.2 pts
79South Africa45.9-0.1 pts
80Ireland45.90 pts
81Slovenia45.9-0.1 pts
82Peru45.70 pts
83Serbia45.7+0.3 pts
84Luxembourg45.6-0.5 pts
85Timor-Leste45.6+0.1 pts
86Jamaica45.4+0.2 pts
87Thailand45.3+0.1 pts
88Cyprus45.2-0.1 pts
89Slovakia45.2+0.1 pts
90Montenegro45.2+0.5 pts
91United States45.2+0.1 pts
92China45+0.1 pts
93Cameroon44.9-0.4 pts
94Poland44.9-0.2 pts
95Albania44.8+0.5 pts
96Mongolia44.8+0.8 pts
97Guam44.7+0.2 pts
98Bolivia44.6+0.4 pts
99Zambia44.6-0.8 pts
100Greece44.60 pts
101Czechia44.4-0.1 pts
102Lesotho44.4-0.3 pts
103Japan44.2+0.3 pts
104French Polynesia44-0.1 pts
105Ethiopia43.7-0.5 pts
106Brazil43.6+0.3 pts
107Cape Verde43.4+0.1 pts
108Singapore43.2+0.2 pts
109Romania43-0.1 pts
110South Korea42.9+0.3 pts
111Trinidad and Tobago42.70 pts
112Italy42.6+0.1 pts
113Côte d’Ivoire42.3-0 pts
114Argentina42.3+0.2 pts
115Chile42.2+0.3 pts
116Tonga42.2+0.8 pts
117Bhutan41.8+1.9 pts
118Costa Rica41.8+2 pts
119North Macedonia41.8+1.4 pts
120Paraguay41.7+0.3 pts
121Bosnia and Herzegovina41.6+0.1 pts
122Colombia41.6-0.1 pts
123Comoros41.5+0.8 pts
124Ecuador41.5+0.2 pts
125Panama41.4+0.8 pts
126Guinea41.4-0.7 pts
127El Salvador41.4+0.1 pts
128Cuba41.1+0.1 pts
129Guyana41-0.1 pts
130Niger41-0.1 pts
131Saint Vincent and the Grenadines40.9+0.3 pts
132Suriname40.9+0.2 pts
133Belize40.8+0.8 pts
134Dominican Republic40.8+0.9 pts
135Chad40.80 pts
136Equatorial Guinea40.10 pts
137Malta39.9-0.3 pts
138Gabon39.70 pts
139Indonesia39.6+0.3 pts
140Philippines39.6+0.6 pts
141Brunei39.5-0.9 pts
142Mali39.3-1.1 pts
143Venezuela39.3-0.1 pts
144Mexico38.9+0.8 pts
145Myanmar38.7-0.6 pts
146Mauritius38.6+0.4 pts
147Nicaragua38.6-0.1 pts
148Kyrgyzstan38.4-0.2 pts
149Samoa37.5-0.1 pts
150Nepal37.1-0.2 pts
151Malaysia37.1-0.1 pts
152Senegal37-0.9 pts
153Uzbekistan35.3+0.1 pts
154Honduras35.2-2.4 pts
155Bangladesh34.1+0.8 pts
156Sri Lanka34.1+0.6 pts
157Libya340 pts
158Fiji34+0.1 pts
159Mauritania33.50 pts
160Türkiye32.6+0.3 pts
161Guatemala31.9-0.4 pts
162Lebanon31.3+0.8 pts
163Somalia31.3+0.1 pts
164Djibouti29.5+0.4 pts
165Tunisia29.1+0.3 pts
166Tajikistan28.8-0.4 pts
167India24.7+0.1 pts
168Kuwait24.5-0.1 pts
169Morocco23.7-0.4 pts
170Maldives23.5-1 pts
171Sudan23.4-1 pts
172United Arab Emirates22.4+1.3 pts
173Pakistan22.1+1.4 pts
174Palestine21.1+0.5 pts
175Afghanistan20.9-0.8 pts
176Bahrain20.6+0.1 pts
177Iran18.8-0.4 pts
178Egypt18.7-2.5 pts
179Syria17.9+0.3 pts
180Algeria17-0.1 pts
181Jordan16.6-1.2 pts
182Qatar15.5+0.9 pts
183Iraq14.5+0.4 pts
184Saudi Arabia14.1+1.3 pts
185Oman14+0.6 pts
186Yemen7.5-0.1 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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS), Countries by women in the labour force, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_women_in_2019,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Labor force, female (\% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS): Countries by women in the labour force, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries?period=2019.
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 54.1% in 2019, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest women in the labour force?

Yemen, with 7.5% in 2019.

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