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 2020, at 53.8%. Yemen had the lowest, at 7.5%. The median was 44.9% and the figure for the World was 39.5%. Source: the World Bank.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest53.8Moldova
Lowest7.5Yemen
Median44.9186 countries
World39.5History

Map of countries, 2020

United Arab Emirates: 24.3 %Afghanistan: 19.8 %Albania: 45 %Armenia: 49 %Angola: 49.8 %Argentina: 42.3 %Austria: 46.8 %Australia: 47 %Azerbaijan: 50 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 41.5 %Bangladesh: 34.9 %Belgium: 46.5 %Burkina Faso: 47.1 %Bulgaria: 46.1 %Burundi: 50.9 %Benin: 49.6 %Brunei: 39.6 %Bolivia: 45 %Brazil: 42.6 %Bahamas: 50.4 %Bhutan: 42.6 %Botswana: 46.1 %Belarus: 49.2 %Belize: 37.9 %Canada: 46.9 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Central African Republic: 47.3 %Republic of the Congo: 49 %Switzerland: 46.7 %Côte d’Ivoire: 42.4 %Chile: 40.8 %Cameroon: 44.5 %China: 45 %Colombia: 41.1 %Costa Rica: 40.9 %Cuba: 41 %Cape Verde: 43.3 %Cyprus: 44.7 %Czechia: 44.2 %Germany: 46.4 %Djibouti: 29.4 %Denmark: 47.1 %Dominican Republic: 39.8 %Algeria: 17 %Ecuador: 40.6 %Estonia: 48.4 %Egypt: 17.5 %Eritrea: 47.8 %Spain: 46.3 %Ethiopia: 43.1 %Finland: 47.8 %Fiji: 33.9 %France: 48.1 %Gabon: 39.7 %United Kingdom: 47.7 %Georgia: 47.7 %Ghana: 47.4 %Gambia: 47.7 %Guinea: 41.3 %Equatorial Guinea: 40 %Greece: 44.4 %Guatemala: 33.2 %Guinea-Bissau: 46.8 %Guyana: 41.3 %Hong Kong: 50.6 %Honduras: 39.5 %Croatia: 45.7 %Haiti: 47.8 %Hungary: 46.3 %Indonesia: 39.6 %Ireland: 45.9 %Israel: 47.7 %India: 24.5 %Iraq: 13.7 %Iran: 16.3 %Iceland: 45.9 %Italy: 42.3 %Jamaica: 45.1 %Jordan: 17.9 %Japan: 44.1 %Kenya: 46.9 %Kyrgyzstan: 39.3 %Cambodia: 48.8 %North Korea: 48.4 %South Korea: 42.9 %Kuwait: 25.1 %Kazakhstan: 48.3 %Laos: 46.7 %Lebanon: 28.7 %Sri Lanka: 32.8 %Liberia: 47.5 %Lesotho: 44.3 %Lithuania: 49.4 %Luxembourg: 46.4 %Latvia: 49.7 %Libya: 33.9 %Morocco: 23.1 %Moldova: 53.8 %Montenegro: 45.3 %Madagascar: 48.7 %North Macedonia: 41.6 %Mali: 38.1 %Myanmar: 37.7 %Mongolia: 44.8 %Mauritania: 33.4 %Mauritius: 38.5 %Malawi: 48.2 %Mexico: 38.6 %Malaysia: 37 %Mozambique: 52.2 %Namibia: 48.6 %New Caledonia: 47.2 %Niger: 42.3 %Nigeria: 46.9 %Nicaragua: 38.5 %Netherlands: 47 %Norway: 47.3 %Nepal: 36.8 %New Zealand: 47 %Oman: 15 %Panama: 42.4 %Peru: 43.9 %French Polynesia: 44 %Papua New Guinea: 47.5 %Philippines: 39.4 %Pakistan: 22.3 %Poland: 44.7 %Puerto Rico: 46 %Palestine: 20.5 %Portugal: 49 %Paraguay: 40.8 %Qatar: 16.4 %Romania: 42.8 %Serbia: 45.7 %Russia: 48.6 %Rwanda: 47.3 %Saudi Arabia: 16.8 %Solomon Islands: 48 %Sudan: 22.2 %Sweden: 47.2 %Singapore: 43.3 %Slovenia: 46 %Slovakia: 45.4 %Sierra Leone: 48.4 %Senegal: 36.6 %Somalia: 31.3 %Suriname: 40.9 %South Sudan: 50.2 %El Salvador: 41.2 %Syria: 17.9 %Eswatini: 48.3 %Chad: 40.8 %Togo: 50.6 %Thailand: 45.5 %Tajikistan: 28.8 %Timor-Leste: 45.6 %Turkmenistan: 47.1 %Tunisia: 29.5 %Türkiye: 31.4 %Trinidad and Tobago: 42.8 %Tanzania: 49 %Ukraine: 47.4 %Uganda: 48.4 %United States: 45.2 %Uruguay: 46.3 %Uzbekistan: 35.3 %Venezuela: 39.2 %Vietnam: 48.1 %Vanuatu: 46 %Samoa: 37.2 %Yemen: 7.5 %South Africa: 45.6 %Zambia: 45.5 %Zimbabwe: 50.2 %
  • Under 35
  • 35 to 41
  • 41 to 45
  • 45 to 47
  • 47 to 48
  • 48 and over
  • No data
%, 2020. 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, 2020

Moldova: 53.8 %Moldova53.8Mozambique: 52.2 %Mozambique52.2Burundi: 50.9 %Burundi50.9Hong Kong: 50.6 %Hong Kong50.6Togo: 50.6 %Togo50.6Bahamas: 50.4 %Bahamas50.4U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.4 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.4Macao: 50.3 %Macao50.3South Sudan: 50.2 %South Sudan50.2Zimbabwe: 50.2 %Zimbabwe50.2Azerbaijan: 50 %Azerbaijan50Barbados: 49.8 %Barbados49.8Angola: 49.8 %Angola49.8Latvia: 49.7 %Latvia49.7Benin: 49.6 %Benin49.6Lithuania: 49.4 %Lithuania49.4São Tomé and Príncipe: 49.4 %São Tomé and Príncipe49.4Belarus: 49.2 %Belarus49.2Armenia: 49 %Armenia49Republic of the Congo: 49 %Republic of the Congo49Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Portugal: 49 %Portugal49Cambodia: 48.8 %Cambodia48.8Madagascar: 48.7 %Madagascar48.7Namibia: 48.6 %Namibia48.6Russia: 48.6 %Russia48.6Uganda: 48.4 %Uganda48.4North Korea: 48.4 %North Korea48.4Estonia: 48.4 %Estonia48.4Sierra Leone: 48.4 %Sierra Leone48.4Eswatini: 48.3 %Eswatini48.3Kazakhstan: 48.3 %Kazakhstan48.3Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.2Malawi: 48.2 %Malawi48.2Vietnam: 48.1 %Vietnam48.1France: 48.1 %France48.1Solomon Islands: 48 %Solomon Islands48Eritrea: 47.8 %Eritrea47.8Haiti: 47.8 %Haiti47.8Finland: 47.8 %Finland47.8Moldova: 53.8 %Moldova53.8Mozambique: 52.2 %Mozambique52.2Burundi: 50.9 %Burundi50.9Hong Kong: 50.6 %Hong Kong50.6Togo: 50.6 %Togo50.6Bahamas: 50.4 %Bahamas50.4U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.4 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.4Macao: 50.3 %Macao50.3South Sudan: 50.2 %South Sudan50.2Zimbabwe: 50.2 %Zimbabwe50.2Azerbaijan: 50 %Azerbaijan50Barbados: 49.8 %Barbados49.8Angola: 49.8 %Angola49.8Latvia: 49.7 %Latvia49.7Benin: 49.6 %Benin49.6Lithuania: 49.4 %Lithuania49.4São Tomé and Príncipe: 49.4 %São Tomé and Príncipe49.4Belarus: 49.2 %Belarus49.2Armenia: 49 %Armenia49Republic of the Congo: 49 %Republic of the Congo49Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Portugal: 49 %Portugal49Cambodia: 48.8 %Cambodia48.8Madagascar: 48.7 %Madagascar48.7Namibia: 48.6 %Namibia48.6Russia: 48.6 %Russia48.6Uganda: 48.4 %Uganda48.4North Korea: 48.4 %North Korea48.4Estonia: 48.4 %Estonia48.4Sierra Leone: 48.4 %Sierra Leone48.4Eswatini: 48.3 %Eswatini48.3Kazakhstan: 48.3 %Kazakhstan48.3Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.2 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.2Malawi: 48.2 %Malawi48.2Vietnam: 48.1 %Vietnam48.1France: 48.1 %France48.1Solomon Islands: 48 %Solomon Islands48Eritrea: 47.8 %Eritrea47.8Haiti: 47.8 %Haiti47.8Finland: 47.8 %Finland47.8
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2020 (%)Change on 2019
1Moldova53.8-0.3 pts
2Mozambique52.2-0.1 pts
3Burundi50.9-0.7 pts
4Hong Kong50.6+0.2 pts
5Togo50.6+0.2 pts
6Bahamas50.40 pts
7U.S. Virgin Islands50.4-0 pts
8Macao50.3+0.1 pts
9South Sudan50.2-0.1 pts
10Zimbabwe50.2-0.3 pts
11Azerbaijan50-0 pts
12Barbados49.8-0.2 pts
13Angola49.80 pts
14Latvia49.7-0.1 pts
15Benin49.6-0.3 pts
16Lithuania49.4-0.7 pts
17São Tomé and Príncipe49.4-0 pts
18Belarus49.2-0.2 pts
19Armenia49+1.1 pts
20Republic of the Congo49-0.1 pts
21Tanzania490 pts
22Portugal49-0.1 pts
23Cambodia48.8-0.1 pts
24Madagascar48.70 pts
25Namibia48.6-0.2 pts
26Russia48.6+0.1 pts
27Uganda48.4-0.4 pts
28North Korea48.4-0 pts
29Estonia48.4-0.2 pts
30Sierra Leone48.4-0 pts
31Eswatini48.3-0.1 pts
32Kazakhstan48.3-0.5 pts
33Democratic Republic of the Congo48.20 pts
34Malawi48.2-0.4 pts
35Vietnam48.1-0.2 pts
36France48.10 pts
37Solomon Islands480 pts
38Eritrea47.8-0.1 pts
39Haiti47.80 pts
40Finland47.8-0.2 pts
41United Kingdom47.7+0.2 pts
42Gambia47.7-0.1 pts
43Israel47.7+0.2 pts
44Georgia47.7+0.1 pts
45Liberia47.5-0 pts
46Papua New Guinea47.50 pts
47Ghana47.4-0.1 pts
48Ukraine47.4-0 pts
49Norway47.30 pts
50Rwanda47.3+0.8 pts
51Central African Republic47.3+0.3 pts
52New Caledonia47.2+0.1 pts
53Sweden47.2-0.3 pts
54Turkmenistan47.1-0.1 pts
55Burkina Faso47.1-0.5 pts
56Denmark47.1+0.1 pts
57Netherlands47+0.2 pts
58New Zealand47-0.3 pts
59Australia47+0.1 pts
60Kenya46.90 pts
61Nigeria46.9-0.1 pts
62Canada46.9-0.2 pts
63Austria46.8+0.2 pts
64Guinea-Bissau46.8+0.3 pts
65Switzerland46.7-0.1 pts
66Laos46.7-0.1 pts
67Saint Lucia46.6-0.8 pts
68Belgium46.5-0 pts
69Germany46.4+0.1 pts
70Luxembourg46.4+0.7 pts
71Uruguay46.3+0.3 pts
72Spain46.3-0 pts
73Hungary46.3-0 pts
74Bulgaria46.1-0.1 pts
75Botswana46.10 pts
76Vanuatu46+0.1 pts
77Slovenia46+0.1 pts
78Puerto Rico46-0 pts
79Iceland45.9-0.1 pts
80Ireland45.9-0 pts
81Croatia45.7-0.4 pts
82Serbia45.70 pts
83Timor-Leste45.6-0 pts
84South Africa45.6-0.4 pts
85Thailand45.5+0.2 pts
86Zambia45.5+0.9 pts
87Slovakia45.4+0.2 pts
88Montenegro45.3+0.1 pts
89United States45.2-0 pts
90Jamaica45.1-0.3 pts
91Bolivia45+0.4 pts
92China45-0.1 pts
93Albania45+0.1 pts
94Mongolia44.80 pts
95Cyprus44.7-0.5 pts
96Guam44.7-0 pts
97Poland44.7-0.2 pts
98Cameroon44.5-0.5 pts
99Greece44.4-0.2 pts
100Lesotho44.3-0 pts
101Czechia44.2-0.2 pts
102Japan44.1-0.1 pts
103French Polynesia44-0.1 pts
104Peru43.9-1.8 pts
105Singapore43.30 pts
106Cape Verde43.3-0.2 pts
107Ethiopia43.1-0.6 pts
108Tonga43+0.8 pts
109South Korea42.90 pts
110Trinidad and Tobago42.8+0.1 pts
111Romania42.8-0.2 pts
112Bhutan42.6+0.8 pts
113Brazil42.6-1 pts
114Panama42.4+1 pts
115Côte d’Ivoire42.4+0.1 pts
116Niger42.3+1.4 pts
117Italy42.3-0.3 pts
118Argentina42.30 pts
119Comoros42+0.5 pts
120North Macedonia41.6-0.2 pts
121Bosnia and Herzegovina41.5-0.1 pts
122Guinea41.3-0.1 pts
123Guyana41.3+0.3 pts
124El Salvador41.2-0.2 pts
125Colombia41.1-0.4 pts
126Saint Vincent and the Grenadines41+0.1 pts
127Cuba41-0.2 pts
128Suriname40.9-0 pts
129Costa Rica40.9-0.9 pts
130Paraguay40.8-0.9 pts
131Chile40.8-1.4 pts
132Chad40.8-0 pts
133Ecuador40.6-0.9 pts
134Malta40.2+0.3 pts
135Equatorial Guinea40-0 pts
136Dominican Republic39.8-1 pts
137Gabon39.70 pts
138Indonesia39.6-0.1 pts
139Brunei39.60 pts
140Honduras39.5+4.3 pts
141Philippines39.4-0.2 pts
142Kyrgyzstan39.3+1 pts
143Venezuela39.2-0.1 pts
144Mexico38.6-0.3 pts
145Nicaragua38.5-0 pts
146Mauritius38.5-0.2 pts
147Mali38.1-1.2 pts
148Belize37.9-3 pts
149Myanmar37.7-1.1 pts
150Samoa37.2-0.2 pts
151Malaysia37-0.1 pts
152Nepal36.8-0.3 pts
153Senegal36.6-0.3 pts
154Uzbekistan35.3-0 pts
155Bangladesh34.9+0.7 pts
156Libya33.9-0.1 pts
157Fiji33.9-0 pts
158Mauritania33.4-0.1 pts
159Guatemala33.2+1.3 pts
160Sri Lanka32.8-1.3 pts
161Türkiye31.4-1.1 pts
162Somalia31.3-0 pts
163Tunisia29.5+0.4 pts
164Djibouti29.4-0.1 pts
165Tajikistan28.80 pts
166Lebanon28.7-2.6 pts
167Kuwait25.1+0.5 pts
168India24.5-0.2 pts
169United Arab Emirates24.3+1.9 pts
170Morocco23.1-0.6 pts
171Maldives23-0.5 pts
172Pakistan22.3+0.2 pts
173Sudan22.2-1.2 pts
174Bahrain20.7+0.1 pts
175Palestine20.5-0.7 pts
176Afghanistan19.8-1.1 pts
177Jordan17.9+1.3 pts
178Syria17.9-0.1 pts
179Egypt17.5-1.2 pts
180Algeria17-0 pts
181Saudi Arabia16.8+2.7 pts
182Qatar16.4+0.9 pts
183Iran16.3-2.5 pts
184Oman15+1 pts
185Iraq13.7-0.8 pts
186Yemen7.50 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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS), Countries by women in the labour force, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_women_in_2020,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Labor force, female (\% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS): Countries by women in the labour force, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries?period=2020.
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  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Countries by women in the labour force using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"labor_force_female_share","level":"country","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=labor_force_female_share&level=country&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which country has the highest women in the labour force?

Moldova, with 53.8% in 2020, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest women in the labour force?

Yemen, with 7.5% in 2020.

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