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 2021, at 53.7%. Yemen had the lowest, at 7.5%. The median was 45.1% and the figure for the World was 39.7%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest53.7Moldova
Lowest7.5Yemen
Median45.1186 countries
World39.7History

Map of countries, 2021

United Arab Emirates: 21.7 %Afghanistan: 18 %Albania: 45 %Armenia: 49.1 %Angola: 50.1 %Argentina: 42.4 %Austria: 46.7 %Australia: 47.2 %Azerbaijan: 50.1 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 41.6 %Bangladesh: 35.7 %Belgium: 46.6 %Burkina Faso: 46.6 %Bulgaria: 46.2 %Burundi: 51.8 %Benin: 49.4 %Brunei: 39.8 %Bolivia: 45.8 %Brazil: 43 %Bahamas: 50.6 %Bhutan: 43.1 %Botswana: 46.3 %Belarus: 49.3 %Belize: 38.8 %Canada: 47 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.3 %Central African Republic: 47.5 %Republic of the Congo: 49.1 %Switzerland: 46.9 %Côte d’Ivoire: 42.6 %Chile: 40.9 %Cameroon: 44.2 %China: 45.1 %Colombia: 41 %Costa Rica: 41.5 %Cuba: 41 %Cape Verde: 43.4 %Cyprus: 44.6 %Czechia: 44.3 %Germany: 46.4 %Djibouti: 29.6 %Denmark: 46.9 %Dominican Republic: 41 %Algeria: 17.1 %Ecuador: 41.2 %Estonia: 48.8 %Egypt: 18.1 %Eritrea: 47.9 %Spain: 46.7 %Ethiopia: 42.5 %Finland: 47.6 %Fiji: 34 %France: 48.4 %Gabon: 40 %United Kingdom: 48 %Georgia: 47.6 %Ghana: 47.5 %Gambia: 47.9 %Guinea: 41.2 %Equatorial Guinea: 40.3 %Greece: 44.7 %Guatemala: 34.4 %Guinea-Bissau: 47.1 %Guyana: 41.5 %Hong Kong: 50.8 %Honduras: 39.6 %Croatia: 46.2 %Haiti: 48.1 %Hungary: 46.5 %Indonesia: 39.6 %Ireland: 46.3 %Israel: 48 %India: 25.7 %Iraq: 13.9 %Iran: 15.7 %Iceland: 46 %Italy: 42.5 %Jamaica: 45.2 %Jordan: 17.3 %Japan: 44.4 %Kenya: 47 %Kyrgyzstan: 38.4 %Cambodia: 48.2 %North Korea: 48.4 %South Korea: 43.1 %Kuwait: 25.1 %Kazakhstan: 48.4 %Laos: 46.7 %Lebanon: 27.5 %Sri Lanka: 32.9 %Liberia: 47.6 %Lesotho: 44.3 %Lithuania: 49.5 %Luxembourg: 46.1 %Latvia: 49.4 %Libya: 34 %Morocco: 22.8 %Moldova: 53.7 %Montenegro: 45.4 %Madagascar: 48.8 %North Macedonia: 41.1 %Mali: 39.4 %Myanmar: 37.7 %Mongolia: 44.1 %Mauritania: 33.5 %Mauritius: 38.3 %Malawi: 48.7 %Mexico: 38.9 %Malaysia: 37 %Mozambique: 52.1 %Namibia: 48.7 %New Caledonia: 47.1 %Niger: 43.7 %Nigeria: 47 %Nicaragua: 38.7 %Netherlands: 47.1 %Norway: 47.1 %Nepal: 36.6 %New Zealand: 47.3 %Oman: 15.8 %Panama: 39.2 %Peru: 45.6 %French Polynesia: 44.1 %Papua New Guinea: 47.6 %Philippines: 39.6 %Pakistan: 22.7 %Poland: 45.2 %Puerto Rico: 46.1 %Palestine: 20.6 %Portugal: 49.3 %Paraguay: 41.8 %Qatar: 17.1 %Romania: 42.4 %Serbia: 46.1 %Russia: 48.6 %Rwanda: 47.2 %Saudi Arabia: 19.4 %Solomon Islands: 48.2 %Sudan: 21.1 %Sweden: 47.2 %Singapore: 44 %Slovenia: 45.8 %Slovakia: 46.8 %Sierra Leone: 48.5 %Senegal: 36.5 %Somalia: 31.3 %Suriname: 41.1 %South Sudan: 50.3 %El Salvador: 41.2 %Syria: 17.9 %Eswatini: 48.6 %Chad: 40.8 %Togo: 50.8 %Thailand: 45.6 %Tajikistan: 28.7 %Timor-Leste: 45.8 %Turkmenistan: 47.2 %Tunisia: 30.2 %Türkiye: 32.1 %Trinidad and Tobago: 43.2 %Tanzania: 49.1 %Ukraine: 47.4 %Uganda: 48.1 %United States: 45.2 %Uruguay: 46.5 %Uzbekistan: 35.4 %Venezuela: 39.4 %Vietnam: 48.5 %Vanuatu: 46.9 %Samoa: 37 %Yemen: 7.5 %South Africa: 45.4 %Zambia: 45.8 %Zimbabwe: 50.1 %
  • Under 35
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%, 2021. 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, 2021

Moldova: 53.7 %Moldova53.7Mozambique: 52.1 %Mozambique52.1Burundi: 51.8 %Burundi51.8Togo: 50.8 %Togo50.8Hong Kong: 50.8 %Hong Kong50.8U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.8 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.8Macao: 50.6 %Macao50.6Bahamas: 50.6 %Bahamas50.6South Sudan: 50.3 %South Sudan50.3Azerbaijan: 50.1 %Azerbaijan50.1Zimbabwe: 50.1 %Zimbabwe50.1Angola: 50.1 %Angola50.1Barbados: 49.8 %Barbados49.8São Tomé and Príncipe: 49.7 %São Tomé and Príncipe49.7Lithuania: 49.5 %Lithuania49.5Benin: 49.4 %Benin49.4Latvia: 49.4 %Latvia49.4Belarus: 49.3 %Belarus49.3Portugal: 49.3 %Portugal49.3Republic of the Congo: 49.1 %Republic of the Congo49.1Tanzania: 49.1 %Tanzania49.1Armenia: 49.1 %Armenia49.1Madagascar: 48.8 %Madagascar48.8Estonia: 48.8 %Estonia48.8Namibia: 48.7 %Namibia48.7Malawi: 48.7 %Malawi48.7Eswatini: 48.6 %Eswatini48.6Russia: 48.6 %Russia48.6Vietnam: 48.5 %Vietnam48.5Sierra Leone: 48.5 %Sierra Leone48.5North Korea: 48.4 %North Korea48.4France: 48.4 %France48.4Kazakhstan: 48.4 %Kazakhstan48.4Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.3 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.3Cambodia: 48.2 %Cambodia48.2Solomon Islands: 48.2 %Solomon Islands48.2Uganda: 48.1 %Uganda48.1Haiti: 48.1 %Haiti48.1Israel: 48 %Israel48United Kingdom: 48 %United Kingdom48Moldova: 53.7 %Moldova53.7Mozambique: 52.1 %Mozambique52.1Burundi: 51.8 %Burundi51.8Togo: 50.8 %Togo50.8Hong Kong: 50.8 %Hong Kong50.8U.S. Virgin Islands: 50.8 %U.S. Virgin Islands50.8Macao: 50.6 %Macao50.6Bahamas: 50.6 %Bahamas50.6South Sudan: 50.3 %South Sudan50.3Azerbaijan: 50.1 %Azerbaijan50.1Zimbabwe: 50.1 %Zimbabwe50.1Angola: 50.1 %Angola50.1Barbados: 49.8 %Barbados49.8São Tomé and Príncipe: 49.7 %São Tomé and Príncipe49.7Lithuania: 49.5 %Lithuania49.5Benin: 49.4 %Benin49.4Latvia: 49.4 %Latvia49.4Belarus: 49.3 %Belarus49.3Portugal: 49.3 %Portugal49.3Republic of the Congo: 49.1 %Republic of the Congo49.1Tanzania: 49.1 %Tanzania49.1Armenia: 49.1 %Armenia49.1Madagascar: 48.8 %Madagascar48.8Estonia: 48.8 %Estonia48.8Namibia: 48.7 %Namibia48.7Malawi: 48.7 %Malawi48.7Eswatini: 48.6 %Eswatini48.6Russia: 48.6 %Russia48.6Vietnam: 48.5 %Vietnam48.5Sierra Leone: 48.5 %Sierra Leone48.5North Korea: 48.4 %North Korea48.4France: 48.4 %France48.4Kazakhstan: 48.4 %Kazakhstan48.4Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.3 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.3Cambodia: 48.2 %Cambodia48.2Solomon Islands: 48.2 %Solomon Islands48.2Uganda: 48.1 %Uganda48.1Haiti: 48.1 %Haiti48.1Israel: 48 %Israel48United Kingdom: 48 %United Kingdom48
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Moldova53.7-0 pts
2Mozambique52.1-0.1 pts
3Burundi51.8+0.9 pts
4Togo50.8+0.2 pts
5Hong Kong50.8+0.2 pts
6U.S. Virgin Islands50.8+0.4 pts
7Macao50.6+0.3 pts
8Bahamas50.6+0.2 pts
9South Sudan50.30 pts
10Azerbaijan50.1+0.1 pts
11Zimbabwe50.1-0.1 pts
12Angola50.1+0.2 pts
13Barbados49.8-0.1 pts
14São Tomé and Príncipe49.7+0.3 pts
15Lithuania49.5+0.1 pts
16Benin49.4-0.1 pts
17Latvia49.4-0.3 pts
18Belarus49.3+0.1 pts
19Portugal49.3+0.3 pts
20Republic of the Congo49.1+0.1 pts
21Tanzania49.1+0.1 pts
22Armenia49.1+0.1 pts
23Madagascar48.8+0.1 pts
24Estonia48.8+0.4 pts
25Namibia48.7+0.1 pts
26Malawi48.7+0.5 pts
27Eswatini48.6+0.2 pts
28Russia48.6-0 pts
29Vietnam48.5+0.4 pts
30Sierra Leone48.5+0.1 pts
31North Korea48.40 pts
32France48.4+0.3 pts
33Kazakhstan48.4+0.1 pts
34Democratic Republic of the Congo48.30 pts
35Cambodia48.2-0.6 pts
36Solomon Islands48.2+0.2 pts
37Uganda48.1-0.4 pts
38Haiti48.1+0.2 pts
39Israel48+0.3 pts
40United Kingdom48+0.2 pts
41Eritrea47.9+0.1 pts
42Gambia47.9+0.2 pts
43Georgia47.6-0.1 pts
44Finland47.6-0.1 pts
45Papua New Guinea47.6+0.2 pts
46Liberia47.60 pts
47Central African Republic47.5+0.2 pts
48Ghana47.50 pts
49Ukraine47.40 pts
50New Zealand47.3+0.3 pts
51Australia47.2+0.3 pts
52Rwanda47.2-0.1 pts
53Sweden47.2+0.1 pts
54Turkmenistan47.2+0.1 pts
55Guinea-Bissau47.1+0.3 pts
56Netherlands47.1+0.1 pts
57New Caledonia47.1-0 pts
58Norway47.1-0.2 pts
59Canada47+0.2 pts
60Kenya47+0.1 pts
61Nigeria47+0.1 pts
62Vanuatu46.9+0.9 pts
63Denmark46.9-0.2 pts
64Switzerland46.9+0.1 pts
65Slovakia46.8+1.4 pts
66Saint Lucia46.8+0.3 pts
67Laos46.7+0.1 pts
68Austria46.7-0.1 pts
69Spain46.7+0.4 pts
70Belgium46.6+0.1 pts
71Burkina Faso46.6-0.5 pts
72Hungary46.5+0.2 pts
73Uruguay46.5+0.2 pts
74Germany46.4-0 pts
75Ireland46.3+0.5 pts
76Botswana46.3+0.2 pts
77Bulgaria46.2+0.1 pts
78Croatia46.2+0.5 pts
79Luxembourg46.1-0.3 pts
80Serbia46.1+0.4 pts
81Puerto Rico46.1+0.1 pts
82Iceland460 pts
83Timor-Leste45.8+0.2 pts
84Zambia45.8+0.3 pts
85Slovenia45.8-0.2 pts
86Bolivia45.8+0.8 pts
87Thailand45.6+0.2 pts
88Peru45.6+1.7 pts
89South Africa45.4-0.1 pts
90Montenegro45.4+0.1 pts
91Jamaica45.2+0.1 pts
92United States45.2-0 pts
93Poland45.2+0.5 pts
94China45.1+0.2 pts
95Albania450 pts
96Guam44.9+0.2 pts
97Greece44.7+0.3 pts
98Cyprus44.6-0.1 pts
99Japan44.4+0.2 pts
100Lesotho44.30 pts
101Czechia44.3+0.1 pts
102Cameroon44.2-0.3 pts
103Tonga44.1+1.1 pts
104French Polynesia44.1+0.1 pts
105Mongolia44.1-0.7 pts
106Singapore44+0.7 pts
107Niger43.7+1.3 pts
108Cape Verde43.4+0.2 pts
109Trinidad and Tobago43.2+0.4 pts
110Bhutan43.1+0.6 pts
111South Korea43.1+0.3 pts
112Brazil43+0.4 pts
113Comoros42.7+0.6 pts
114Côte d’Ivoire42.6+0.2 pts
115Ethiopia42.5-0.6 pts
116Italy42.5+0.2 pts
117Romania42.4-0.4 pts
118Argentina42.4+0.1 pts
119Paraguay41.8+0.9 pts
120Bosnia and Herzegovina41.6+0.1 pts
121Costa Rica41.5+0.6 pts
122Guyana41.5+0.2 pts
123Saint Vincent and the Grenadines41.3+0.2 pts
124Ecuador41.2+0.7 pts
125Guinea41.2-0.1 pts
126El Salvador41.2-0 pts
127North Macedonia41.1-0.5 pts
128Suriname41.1+0.2 pts
129Colombia41-0.1 pts
130Dominican Republic41+1.2 pts
131Cuba410 pts
132Chile40.9+0.2 pts
133Chad40.8+0.1 pts
134Equatorial Guinea40.3+0.3 pts
135Malta40.20 pts
136Gabon40+0.2 pts
137Brunei39.8+0.3 pts
138Indonesia39.6+0.1 pts
139Honduras39.6+0.1 pts
140Philippines39.6+0.2 pts
141Venezuela39.4+0.2 pts
142Mali39.4+1.3 pts
143Panama39.2-3.2 pts
144Mexico38.9+0.3 pts
145Belize38.8+0.9 pts
146Nicaragua38.7+0.2 pts
147Kyrgyzstan38.4-1 pts
148Mauritius38.3-0.1 pts
149Myanmar37.70 pts
150Samoa37-0.2 pts
151Malaysia37-0 pts
152Nepal36.6-0.2 pts
153Senegal36.5-0.2 pts
154Bangladesh35.7+0.9 pts
155Uzbekistan35.4+0.1 pts
156Guatemala34.4+1.2 pts
157Fiji34+0.1 pts
158Libya34+0.1 pts
159Mauritania33.5+0.1 pts
160Sri Lanka32.9+0.1 pts
161Türkiye32.1+0.7 pts
162Somalia31.30 pts
163Tunisia30.2+0.7 pts
164Djibouti29.6+0.2 pts
165Tajikistan28.7-0.1 pts
166Lebanon27.5-1.2 pts
167India25.7+1.1 pts
168Kuwait25.10 pts
169Morocco22.8-0.4 pts
170Pakistan22.7+0.4 pts
171Maldives22.7-0.3 pts
172United Arab Emirates21.7-2.6 pts
173Bahrain21.1+0.5 pts
174Sudan21.1-1.1 pts
175Palestine20.6+0.2 pts
176Saudi Arabia19.4+2.6 pts
177Egypt18.1+0.6 pts
178Afghanistan18-1.8 pts
179Syria17.9-0 pts
180Jordan17.3-0.6 pts
181Qatar17.1+0.7 pts
182Algeria17.1+0.1 pts
183Oman15.8+0.8 pts
184Iran15.7-0.6 pts
185Iraq13.9+0.2 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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS), Countries by women in the labour force, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_women_in_2021,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Labor force, female (\% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS): Countries by women in the labour force, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries?period=2021.
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 53.7% in 2021, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest women in the labour force?

Yemen, with 7.5% in 2021.

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