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 185 countries in 2022, at 54.5%. Afghanistan had the lowest, at 6.9%. The median was 45.3% and the figure for the World was 39.8%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest54.5Moldova
Lowest6.9Afghanistan
Median45.3185 countries
World39.8History

Map of countries, 2022

United Arab Emirates: 22.8 %Afghanistan: 6.9 %Albania: 46.4 %Armenia: 47.1 %Angola: 50.3 %Argentina: 42.9 %Austria: 46.8 %Australia: 47.5 %Azerbaijan: 50 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 41.9 %Bangladesh: 36.5 %Belgium: 46.8 %Burkina Faso: 46 %Bulgaria: 46.6 %Burundi: 51.6 %Benin: 49.2 %Brunei: 39 %Bolivia: 46 %Brazil: 43.4 %Bahamas: 50.5 %Bhutan: 38.3 %Botswana: 46.6 %Belarus: 49.2 %Belize: 37.3 %Canada: 47.3 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.5 %Central African Republic: 48.2 %Republic of the Congo: 48.7 %Switzerland: 46.8 %Côte d’Ivoire: 42.9 %Chile: 42.1 %Cameroon: 44 %China: 45.2 %Colombia: 41.2 %Costa Rica: 41.7 %Cuba: 39.9 %Cape Verde: 43.1 %Cyprus: 45.1 %Czechia: 44.5 %Germany: 46.5 %Djibouti: 29.9 %Denmark: 47.4 %Dominican Republic: 40.5 %Algeria: 16.8 %Ecuador: 41.6 %Estonia: 49.2 %Egypt: 17.7 %Eritrea: 47.8 %Spain: 46.6 %Ethiopia: 42.7 %Finland: 48.2 %Fiji: 34 %France: 48.4 %Gabon: 39.7 %United Kingdom: 47.7 %Georgia: 47.9 %Ghana: 47.3 %Gambia: 48.1 %Guinea: 41.5 %Equatorial Guinea: 40 %Greece: 44.6 %Guatemala: 34.3 %Guinea-Bissau: 47.6 %Guyana: 43.5 %Hong Kong: 50.7 %Honduras: 37.2 %Croatia: 46.8 %Haiti: 47.1 %Hungary: 46.6 %Indonesia: 39.3 %Ireland: 46.7 %Israel: 48 %India: 26.6 %Iraq: 13.6 %Iran: 16.4 %Iceland: 46.3 %Italy: 42.6 %Jamaica: 45.7 %Jordan: 17.3 %Japan: 44.7 %Kenya: 47.1 %Kyrgyzstan: 39.4 %Cambodia: 48.7 %North Korea: 48.3 %South Korea: 43.4 %Kuwait: 24.4 %Kazakhstan: 48.3 %Laos: 46.5 %Lebanon: 27 %Sri Lanka: 33.3 %Liberia: 47.5 %Lesotho: 44 %Lithuania: 49.6 %Luxembourg: 46.6 %Latvia: 49.7 %Libya: 34.1 %Morocco: 22 %Moldova: 54.5 %Montenegro: 46.1 %Madagascar: 48.6 %North Macedonia: 41.4 %Mali: 39.1 %Myanmar: 37.7 %Mongolia: 44.3 %Mauritania: 33.2 %Mauritius: 38.1 %Malawi: 48.5 %Mexico: 39.5 %Malaysia: 36.8 %Mozambique: 51.9 %Namibia: 48.1 %New Caledonia: 46.7 %Niger: 44.9 %Nigeria: 46.9 %Nicaragua: 39.3 %Netherlands: 47.1 %Norway: 47 %Nepal: 36.7 %New Zealand: 47.5 %Oman: 15.6 %Panama: 39.6 %Peru: 45.4 %French Polynesia: 44 %Papua New Guinea: 47.4 %Philippines: 41.4 %Pakistan: 22.6 %Poland: 45.6 %Puerto Rico: 45.9 %Palestine: 21.5 %Portugal: 49.2 %Paraguay: 42 %Qatar: 17.8 %Romania: 42.8 %Serbia: 46.5 %Russia: 48.7 %Rwanda: 47.5 %Saudi Arabia: 19.3 %Solomon Islands: 48 %Sudan: 19.7 %Sweden: 47.2 %Singapore: 43.6 %Slovenia: 45.6 %Slovakia: 47 %Sierra Leone: 48.5 %Senegal: 36.2 %Somalia: 30.7 %Suriname: 41.4 %South Sudan: 49.7 %El Salvador: 41.3 %Syria: 17.6 %Eswatini: 48.2 %Chad: 40.3 %Togo: 51.3 %Thailand: 45.8 %Tajikistan: 29.2 %Timor-Leste: 45.8 %Turkmenistan: 47.3 %Tunisia: 30.4 %Türkiye: 33.2 %Trinidad and Tobago: 43.6 %Tanzania: 49 %Uganda: 48.1 %United States: 45.3 %Uruguay: 45.9 %Uzbekistan: 35.7 %Venezuela: 35.6 %Vietnam: 48.6 %Vanuatu: 46 %Samoa: 35.9 %Yemen: 7.2 %South Africa: 45.8 %Zambia: 46.1 %Zimbabwe: 49.9 %
  • Under 35
  • 35 to 41
  • 41 to 45
  • 45 to 47
  • 47 to 48
  • 48 and over
  • No data
%, 2022. 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, 2022

Moldova: 54.5 %Moldova54.5Mozambique: 51.9 %Mozambique51.9Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6Togo: 51.3 %Togo51.3U.S. Virgin Islands: 51.2 %U.S. Virgin Islands51.2Hong Kong: 50.7 %Hong Kong50.7Bahamas: 50.5 %Bahamas50.5Angola: 50.3 %Angola50.3Azerbaijan: 50 %Azerbaijan50Zimbabwe: 49.9 %Zimbabwe49.9South Sudan: 49.7 %South Sudan49.7Latvia: 49.7 %Latvia49.7Lithuania: 49.6 %Lithuania49.6São Tomé and Príncipe: 49.5 %São Tomé and Príncipe49.5Barbados: 49.3 %Barbados49.3Portugal: 49.2 %Portugal49.2Estonia: 49.2 %Estonia49.2Benin: 49.2 %Benin49.2Belarus: 49.2 %Belarus49.2Macao: 49.1 %Macao49.1Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Russia: 48.7 %Russia48.7Cambodia: 48.7 %Cambodia48.7Republic of the Congo: 48.7 %Republic of the Congo48.7Madagascar: 48.6 %Madagascar48.6Vietnam: 48.6 %Vietnam48.6Sierra Leone: 48.5 %Sierra Leone48.5Malawi: 48.5 %Malawi48.5Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.5 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.5France: 48.4 %France48.4North Korea: 48.3 %North Korea48.3Kazakhstan: 48.3 %Kazakhstan48.3Finland: 48.2 %Finland48.2Eswatini: 48.2 %Eswatini48.2Central African Republic: 48.2 %Central African Republic48.2Gambia: 48.1 %Gambia48.1Uganda: 48.1 %Uganda48.1Namibia: 48.1 %Namibia48.1Solomon Islands: 48 %Solomon Islands48Israel: 48 %Israel48Moldova: 54.5 %Moldova54.5Mozambique: 51.9 %Mozambique51.9Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6Togo: 51.3 %Togo51.3U.S. Virgin Islands: 51.2 %U.S. Virgin Islands51.2Hong Kong: 50.7 %Hong Kong50.7Bahamas: 50.5 %Bahamas50.5Angola: 50.3 %Angola50.3Azerbaijan: 50 %Azerbaijan50Zimbabwe: 49.9 %Zimbabwe49.9South Sudan: 49.7 %South Sudan49.7Latvia: 49.7 %Latvia49.7Lithuania: 49.6 %Lithuania49.6São Tomé and Príncipe: 49.5 %São Tomé and Príncipe49.5Barbados: 49.3 %Barbados49.3Portugal: 49.2 %Portugal49.2Estonia: 49.2 %Estonia49.2Benin: 49.2 %Benin49.2Belarus: 49.2 %Belarus49.2Macao: 49.1 %Macao49.1Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Russia: 48.7 %Russia48.7Cambodia: 48.7 %Cambodia48.7Republic of the Congo: 48.7 %Republic of the Congo48.7Madagascar: 48.6 %Madagascar48.6Vietnam: 48.6 %Vietnam48.6Sierra Leone: 48.5 %Sierra Leone48.5Malawi: 48.5 %Malawi48.5Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.5 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.5France: 48.4 %France48.4North Korea: 48.3 %North Korea48.3Kazakhstan: 48.3 %Kazakhstan48.3Finland: 48.2 %Finland48.2Eswatini: 48.2 %Eswatini48.2Central African Republic: 48.2 %Central African Republic48.2Gambia: 48.1 %Gambia48.1Uganda: 48.1 %Uganda48.1Namibia: 48.1 %Namibia48.1Solomon Islands: 48 %Solomon Islands48Israel: 48 %Israel48
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Moldova54.5+0.7 pts
2Mozambique51.9-0.3 pts
3Burundi51.6-0.2 pts
4Togo51.3+0.4 pts
5U.S. Virgin Islands51.2+0.4 pts
6Hong Kong50.7-0.1 pts
7Bahamas50.5-0.1 pts
8Angola50.3+0.3 pts
9Azerbaijan50-0.1 pts
10Zimbabwe49.9-0.2 pts
11South Sudan49.7-0.6 pts
12Latvia49.7+0.3 pts
13Lithuania49.6+0.1 pts
14São Tomé and Príncipe49.5-0.2 pts
15Barbados49.3-0.5 pts
16Portugal49.2-0 pts
17Estonia49.2+0.4 pts
18Benin49.2-0.2 pts
19Belarus49.2-0.1 pts
20Macao49.1-1.5 pts
21Tanzania49-0.1 pts
22Russia48.7+0.2 pts
23Cambodia48.7+0.5 pts
24Republic of the Congo48.7-0.5 pts
25Madagascar48.6-0.2 pts
26Vietnam48.6+0.1 pts
27Sierra Leone48.5+0.1 pts
28Malawi48.5-0.2 pts
29Democratic Republic of the Congo48.5+0.2 pts
30France48.4-0 pts
31North Korea48.3-0.1 pts
32Kazakhstan48.3-0.1 pts
33Finland48.2+0.6 pts
34Eswatini48.2-0.4 pts
35Central African Republic48.2+0.7 pts
36Gambia48.1+0.2 pts
37Uganda48.1-0 pts
38Namibia48.1-0.6 pts
39Solomon Islands48-0.2 pts
40Israel480 pts
41Georgia47.9+0.3 pts
42Eritrea47.8-0.1 pts
43United Kingdom47.7-0.2 pts
44Guinea-Bissau47.6+0.4 pts
45Rwanda47.5+0.2 pts
46New Zealand47.5+0.2 pts
47Australia47.5+0.2 pts
48Liberia47.5-0.1 pts
49Papua New Guinea47.4-0.2 pts
50Denmark47.4+0.5 pts
51Ghana47.3-0.1 pts
52Canada47.3+0.3 pts
53Turkmenistan47.3+0.1 pts
54Sweden47.2-0 pts
55Kenya47.1+0.1 pts
56Netherlands47.1-0 pts
57Haiti47.1-1 pts
58Armenia47.1-2 pts
59Norway47-0 pts
60Slovakia47+0.2 pts
61Nigeria46.9-0 pts
62Croatia46.8+0.7 pts
63Belgium46.8+0.2 pts
64Austria46.8+0.1 pts
65Switzerland46.8-0.1 pts
66Ireland46.7+0.3 pts
67New Caledonia46.7-0.5 pts
68Bulgaria46.6+0.4 pts
69Hungary46.6+0.1 pts
70Botswana46.6+0.3 pts
71Luxembourg46.6+0.5 pts
72Spain46.6-0.2 pts
73Laos46.5-0.2 pts
74Germany46.5+0.1 pts
75Serbia46.5+0.4 pts
76Albania46.4+1.4 pts
77Iceland46.3+0.3 pts
78Zambia46.1+0.3 pts
79Saint Lucia46.1-0.7 pts
80Montenegro46.1+0.7 pts
81Burkina Faso46-0.6 pts
82Vanuatu46-0.9 pts
83Bolivia46+0.2 pts
84Uruguay45.9-0.5 pts
85Puerto Rico45.9-0.2 pts
86Thailand45.8+0.2 pts
87South Africa45.8+0.3 pts
88Timor-Leste45.8-0.1 pts
89Jamaica45.7+0.5 pts
90Slovenia45.6-0.2 pts
91Poland45.6+0.4 pts
92Peru45.4-0.3 pts
93United States45.3+0.1 pts
94China45.2+0.1 pts
95Cyprus45.1+0.5 pts
96Tonga45.1+1 pts
97Niger44.9+1.3 pts
98Guam44.8-0.1 pts
99Japan44.7+0.3 pts
100Greece44.6-0.1 pts
101Czechia44.5+0.2 pts
102Mongolia44.3+0.2 pts
103Cameroon44-0.2 pts
104French Polynesia44-0.1 pts
105Lesotho44-0.4 pts
106Trinidad and Tobago43.6+0.4 pts
107Singapore43.6-0.4 pts
108Guyana43.5+2.1 pts
109Brazil43.4+0.4 pts
110South Korea43.4+0.2 pts
111Cape Verde43.1-0.3 pts
112Argentina42.9+0.5 pts
113Côte d’Ivoire42.9+0.3 pts
114Romania42.8+0.3 pts
115Ethiopia42.7+0.2 pts
116Italy42.6+0.1 pts
117Comoros42.4-0.3 pts
118Chile42.1+1.1 pts
119Paraguay42+0.2 pts
120Bosnia and Herzegovina41.9+0.3 pts
121Costa Rica41.7+0.2 pts
122Saint Vincent and the Grenadines41.7+0.4 pts
123Ecuador41.6+0.4 pts
124Malta41.5+1.3 pts
125Guinea41.5+0.3 pts
126Philippines41.4+1.9 pts
127Suriname41.4+0.3 pts
128North Macedonia41.4+0.3 pts
129El Salvador41.3+0.1 pts
130Colombia41.2+0.2 pts
131Dominican Republic40.5-0.5 pts
132Chad40.3-0.5 pts
133Equatorial Guinea40-0.3 pts
134Cuba39.9-1.1 pts
135Gabon39.7-0.3 pts
136Panama39.6+0.4 pts
137Mexico39.5+0.6 pts
138Kyrgyzstan39.4+1 pts
139Nicaragua39.3+0.6 pts
140Indonesia39.3-0.3 pts
141Mali39.1-0.2 pts
142Brunei39-0.9 pts
143Bhutan38.3-4.9 pts
144Mauritius38.1-0.2 pts
145Myanmar37.70 pts
146Belize37.3-1.5 pts
147Honduras37.2-2.4 pts
148Malaysia36.8-0.1 pts
149Nepal36.7+0.1 pts
150Bangladesh36.5+0.8 pts
151Senegal36.2-0.3 pts
152Samoa35.9-1.1 pts
153Uzbekistan35.7+0.3 pts
154Venezuela35.6-3.8 pts
155Guatemala34.3-0.1 pts
156Libya34.10 pts
157Fiji34-0.1 pts
158Sri Lanka33.3+0.4 pts
159Mauritania33.2-0.3 pts
160Türkiye33.2+1.1 pts
161Somalia30.7-0.6 pts
162Tunisia30.4+0.2 pts
163Djibouti29.9+0.2 pts
164Tajikistan29.2+0.5 pts
165Lebanon27-0.5 pts
166India26.6+1 pts
167Kuwait24.4-0.7 pts
168United Arab Emirates22.8+1.2 pts
169Pakistan22.6-0.1 pts
170Maldives22.5-0.2 pts
171Morocco22-0.7 pts
172Palestine21.5+0.8 pts
173Bahrain21.3+0.1 pts
174Sudan19.7-1.4 pts
175Saudi Arabia19.3-0.1 pts
176Qatar17.8+0.6 pts
177Egypt17.7-0.4 pts
178Syria17.6-0.2 pts
179Jordan17.30 pts
180Algeria16.8-0.3 pts
181Iran16.4+0.7 pts
182Oman15.6-0.2 pts
183Iraq13.6-0.3 pts
184Yemen7.2-0.3 pts
185Afghanistan6.9-11.1 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. 1 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2022 and are left out rather than filled from another source. 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, 2022) [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, 2022. 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=2022. 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, 2022. 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=2022.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS), Countries by women in the labour force, 2022 [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=2022 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_women_in_2022,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Labor force, female (\% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS): Countries by women in the labour force, 2022}},
  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=2022. 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, 2022
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=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries?period=2022.
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 54.5% in 2022, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest women in the labour force?

Afghanistan, with 6.9% in 2022.

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. 1 countries have no value for 2022 and are not ranked.

Women in the labour force: other rankings

Countries: more rankings