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 183 countries in 2023, at 54.7%. Afghanistan had the lowest, at 6.8%. The median was 45.6% and the figure for the World was 40.1%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest54.7Moldova
Lowest6.8Afghanistan
Median45.6183 countries
World40.1History

Map of countries, 2023

United Arab Emirates: 22.3 %Afghanistan: 6.8 %Albania: 46.4 %Armenia: 47.2 %Angola: 49.4 %Argentina: 43.2 %Austria: 46.9 %Australia: 47.4 %Azerbaijan: 49.9 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 42.5 %Bangladesh: 35.6 %Belgium: 46.8 %Burkina Faso: 46.3 %Bulgaria: 46.7 %Burundi: 51.6 %Benin: 49.3 %Brunei: 39.4 %Bolivia: 46.4 %Brazil: 43.3 %Bahamas: 50.6 %Bhutan: 40.1 %Botswana: 46.8 %Belarus: 49.1 %Belize: 38.1 %Canada: 47.3 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.7 %Central African Republic: 48.7 %Republic of the Congo: 48.6 %Switzerland: 46.8 %Côte d’Ivoire: 43.1 %Chile: 42.7 %Cameroon: 44 %China: 45.3 %Colombia: 41.6 %Costa Rica: 39.5 %Cuba: 39.5 %Cape Verde: 43.4 %Cyprus: 45.8 %Czechia: 45 %Germany: 46.6 %Djibouti: 30.3 %Denmark: 47.5 %Dominican Republic: 41.4 %Algeria: 16.9 %Ecuador: 41.2 %Estonia: 49.5 %Egypt: 20.6 %Eritrea: 47.8 %Spain: 47 %Ethiopia: 42.8 %Finland: 48.5 %Fiji: 34.1 %France: 48.5 %Gabon: 39.8 %United Kingdom: 47.5 %Georgia: 48.1 %Ghana: 47.4 %Gambia: 48.2 %Guinea: 41.6 %Equatorial Guinea: 39.9 %Greece: 44.8 %Guatemala: 32.6 %Guinea-Bissau: 47.6 %Guyana: 44.3 %Hong Kong: 50.8 %Honduras: 34.9 %Croatia: 47.2 %Haiti: 46.9 %Hungary: 46.8 %Indonesia: 39.5 %Ireland: 46.2 %Israel: 47.9 %India: 27.5 %Iraq: 13.2 %Iran: 16.8 %Iceland: 46 %Italy: 42.7 %Jamaica: 46.2 %Jordan: 19.1 %Japan: 44.9 %Kenya: 47.3 %Kyrgyzstan: 39.3 %Cambodia: 48.7 %North Korea: 48.3 %South Korea: 43.8 %Kuwait: 23.8 %Kazakhstan: 48.3 %Laos: 46.6 %Lebanon: 26.8 %Sri Lanka: 32.7 %Liberia: 47.5 %Lesotho: 43.9 %Lithuania: 49.3 %Luxembourg: 46.3 %Latvia: 49.7 %Libya: 34 %Morocco: 22.2 %Moldova: 54.7 %Montenegro: 46.6 %Madagascar: 48.6 %North Macedonia: 42.3 %Mali: 39.2 %Myanmar: 37.7 %Mongolia: 43.9 %Mauritania: 33.4 %Mauritius: 40.3 %Malawi: 48.5 %Mexico: 40.1 %Malaysia: 36.9 %Mozambique: 51.9 %Namibia: 48.1 %New Caledonia: 46.6 %Niger: 44.9 %Nigeria: 48.4 %Nicaragua: 39.6 %Netherlands: 47.1 %Norway: 47.1 %Nepal: 37 %New Zealand: 47.5 %Oman: 15.2 %Panama: 40.8 %Peru: 45.3 %French Polynesia: 44.1 %Papua New Guinea: 47.5 %Philippines: 41.5 %Pakistan: 22.6 %Poland: 45.9 %Puerto Rico: 46 %Portugal: 49.4 %Paraguay: 41.9 %Qatar: 18 %Romania: 42.4 %Serbia: 46.9 %Russia: 48.7 %Rwanda: 47.6 %Saudi Arabia: 19 %Solomon Islands: 48 %Sweden: 47.4 %Singapore: 44 %Slovenia: 45.6 %Slovakia: 47 %Sierra Leone: 48.7 %Senegal: 36.3 %Somalia: 30.8 %Suriname: 41.6 %South Sudan: 49.6 %El Salvador: 42.4 %Syria: 17.5 %Eswatini: 48.5 %Chad: 40.3 %Togo: 51.5 %Thailand: 46 %Tajikistan: 29.4 %Timor-Leste: 45.5 %Turkmenistan: 47.3 %Tunisia: 30 %Türkiye: 33.8 %Trinidad and Tobago: 42.9 %Tanzania: 49 %Uganda: 48.1 %United States: 45.6 %Uruguay: 45.6 %Uzbekistan: 35.8 %Venezuela: 36.1 %Vietnam: 48.8 %Vanuatu: 46 %Samoa: 36.1 %Yemen: 7.1 %South Africa: 46.3 %Zambia: 46.3 %Zimbabwe: 49.8 %
  • Under 36
  • 36 to 42
  • 42 to 46
  • 46 to 47
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  • 48 and over
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%, 2023. 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, 2023

Moldova: 54.7 %Moldova54.7Mozambique: 51.9 %Mozambique51.9Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6U.S. Virgin Islands: 51.5 %U.S. Virgin Islands51.5Togo: 51.5 %Togo51.5Hong Kong: 50.8 %Hong Kong50.8Bahamas: 50.6 %Bahamas50.6Macao: 50.4 %Macao50.4Azerbaijan: 49.9 %Azerbaijan49.9Zimbabwe: 49.8 %Zimbabwe49.8Latvia: 49.7 %Latvia49.7South Sudan: 49.6 %South Sudan49.6Estonia: 49.5 %Estonia49.5Barbados: 49.5 %Barbados49.5Portugal: 49.4 %Portugal49.4Angola: 49.4 %Angola49.4São Tomé and Príncipe: 49.4 %São Tomé and Príncipe49.4Lithuania: 49.3 %Lithuania49.3Benin: 49.3 %Benin49.3Belarus: 49.1 %Belarus49.1Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Vietnam: 48.8 %Vietnam48.8Central African Republic: 48.7 %Central African Republic48.7Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.7 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.7Sierra Leone: 48.7 %Sierra Leone48.7Cambodia: 48.7 %Cambodia48.7Russia: 48.7 %Russia48.7Madagascar: 48.6 %Madagascar48.6Republic of the Congo: 48.6 %Republic of the Congo48.6Finland: 48.5 %Finland48.5France: 48.5 %France48.5Eswatini: 48.5 %Eswatini48.5Malawi: 48.5 %Malawi48.5Nigeria: 48.4 %Nigeria48.4Kazakhstan: 48.3 %Kazakhstan48.3North Korea: 48.3 %North Korea48.3Gambia: 48.2 %Gambia48.2Namibia: 48.1 %Namibia48.1Uganda: 48.1 %Uganda48.1Georgia: 48.1 %Georgia48.1Moldova: 54.7 %Moldova54.7Mozambique: 51.9 %Mozambique51.9Burundi: 51.6 %Burundi51.6U.S. Virgin Islands: 51.5 %U.S. Virgin Islands51.5Togo: 51.5 %Togo51.5Hong Kong: 50.8 %Hong Kong50.8Bahamas: 50.6 %Bahamas50.6Macao: 50.4 %Macao50.4Azerbaijan: 49.9 %Azerbaijan49.9Zimbabwe: 49.8 %Zimbabwe49.8Latvia: 49.7 %Latvia49.7South Sudan: 49.6 %South Sudan49.6Estonia: 49.5 %Estonia49.5Barbados: 49.5 %Barbados49.5Portugal: 49.4 %Portugal49.4Angola: 49.4 %Angola49.4São Tomé and Príncipe: 49.4 %São Tomé and Príncipe49.4Lithuania: 49.3 %Lithuania49.3Benin: 49.3 %Benin49.3Belarus: 49.1 %Belarus49.1Tanzania: 49 %Tanzania49Vietnam: 48.8 %Vietnam48.8Central African Republic: 48.7 %Central African Republic48.7Democratic Republic of the Congo: 48.7 %Democratic Republic of the Congo48.7Sierra Leone: 48.7 %Sierra Leone48.7Cambodia: 48.7 %Cambodia48.7Russia: 48.7 %Russia48.7Madagascar: 48.6 %Madagascar48.6Republic of the Congo: 48.6 %Republic of the Congo48.6Finland: 48.5 %Finland48.5France: 48.5 %France48.5Eswatini: 48.5 %Eswatini48.5Malawi: 48.5 %Malawi48.5Nigeria: 48.4 %Nigeria48.4Kazakhstan: 48.3 %Kazakhstan48.3North Korea: 48.3 %North Korea48.3Gambia: 48.2 %Gambia48.2Namibia: 48.1 %Namibia48.1Uganda: 48.1 %Uganda48.1Georgia: 48.1 %Georgia48.1
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Moldova54.7+0.2 pts
2Mozambique51.90 pts
3Burundi51.60 pts
4U.S. Virgin Islands51.5+0.3 pts
5Togo51.5+0.2 pts
6Hong Kong50.8+0.1 pts
7Bahamas50.6+0.2 pts
8Macao50.4+1.3 pts
9Azerbaijan49.9-0.1 pts
10Zimbabwe49.8-0.1 pts
11Latvia49.70 pts
12South Sudan49.6-0.1 pts
13Estonia49.5+0.3 pts
14Barbados49.5+0.3 pts
15Portugal49.4+0.2 pts
16Angola49.4-0.9 pts
17São Tomé and Príncipe49.4-0.1 pts
18Lithuania49.3-0.3 pts
19Benin49.3+0.1 pts
20Belarus49.1-0.1 pts
21Tanzania490 pts
22Vietnam48.8+0.2 pts
23Central African Republic48.7+0.6 pts
24Democratic Republic of the Congo48.7+0.2 pts
25Sierra Leone48.7+0.2 pts
26Cambodia48.7-0 pts
27Russia48.7-0.1 pts
28Madagascar48.60 pts
29Republic of the Congo48.6-0 pts
30Finland48.5+0.3 pts
31France48.5+0.1 pts
32Eswatini48.5+0.3 pts
33Malawi48.5-0.1 pts
34Nigeria48.4+1.5 pts
35Kazakhstan48.30 pts
36North Korea48.3-0 pts
37Gambia48.2+0.1 pts
38Namibia48.1+0.1 pts
39Uganda48.1+0.1 pts
40Georgia48.1+0.1 pts
41Solomon Islands480 pts
42Israel47.9-0.1 pts
43Eritrea47.8-0 pts
44Guinea-Bissau47.6+0.1 pts
45Rwanda47.6+0.1 pts
46United Kingdom47.5-0.2 pts
47Papua New Guinea47.5+0.1 pts
48Liberia47.50 pts
49Denmark47.5+0.1 pts
50New Zealand47.5-0 pts
51Australia47.4-0.1 pts
52Ghana47.4+0.1 pts
53Sweden47.4+0.2 pts
54Canada47.3-0 pts
55Turkmenistan47.3-0 pts
56Kenya47.3+0.1 pts
57Armenia47.2+0.1 pts
58Croatia47.2+0.4 pts
59Netherlands47.10 pts
60Norway47.1+0.1 pts
61Slovakia47-0 pts
62Spain47+0.4 pts
63Austria46.9+0.1 pts
64Serbia46.9+0.4 pts
65Haiti46.9-0.2 pts
66Hungary46.8+0.2 pts
67Switzerland46.8+0.1 pts
68Botswana46.8+0.2 pts
69Belgium46.8-0.1 pts
70Bulgaria46.7+0.1 pts
71New Caledonia46.6-0 pts
72Montenegro46.6+0.5 pts
73Laos46.60 pts
74Germany46.6+0.1 pts
75Bolivia46.4+0.4 pts
76Albania46.4-0 pts
77Luxembourg46.3-0.3 pts
78Tonga46.3+1.2 pts
79Burkina Faso46.3+0.2 pts
80South Africa46.3+0.5 pts
81Zambia46.3+0.2 pts
82Ireland46.2-0.4 pts
83Jamaica46.2+0.5 pts
84Saint Lucia46.10 pts
85Puerto Rico46+0.2 pts
86Vanuatu460 pts
87Thailand46+0.2 pts
88Iceland46-0.3 pts
89Poland45.9+0.3 pts
90Cyprus45.8+0.7 pts
91Uruguay45.6-0.3 pts
92Slovenia45.60 pts
93United States45.6+0.3 pts
94Timor-Leste45.5-0.3 pts
95Peru45.3-0 pts
96China45.3+0.1 pts
97Czechia45+0.5 pts
98Guam45+0.1 pts
99Japan44.9+0.3 pts
100Niger44.9-0 pts
101Greece44.8+0.2 pts
102Guyana44.3+0.8 pts
103French Polynesia44.1+0.1 pts
104Cameroon440 pts
105Singapore44+0.5 pts
106Lesotho43.9-0 pts
107Mongolia43.9-0.5 pts
108South Korea43.8+0.4 pts
109Cape Verde43.4+0.3 pts
110Brazil43.3-0.1 pts
111Argentina43.2+0.3 pts
112Côte d’Ivoire43.1+0.2 pts
113Trinidad and Tobago42.9-0.7 pts
114Ethiopia42.8+0.1 pts
115Italy42.7+0.1 pts
116Chile42.7+0.6 pts
117Bosnia and Herzegovina42.5+0.6 pts
118Romania42.4-0.3 pts
119Comoros42.40 pts
120El Salvador42.4+1.2 pts
121North Macedonia42.3+0.9 pts
122Saint Vincent and the Grenadines42.3+0.6 pts
123Paraguay41.9-0.1 pts
124Suriname41.6+0.3 pts
125Guinea41.6+0.1 pts
126Colombia41.6+0.4 pts
127Malta41.5-0 pts
128Philippines41.5+0.1 pts
129Dominican Republic41.4+0.9 pts
130Ecuador41.2-0.5 pts
131Panama40.8+1.1 pts
132Mauritius40.3+2.2 pts
133Chad40.3-0.1 pts
134Bhutan40.1+1.8 pts
135Mexico40.1+0.6 pts
136Equatorial Guinea39.9-0.1 pts
137Gabon39.8+0.1 pts
138Nicaragua39.6+0.3 pts
139Costa Rica39.5-2.1 pts
140Cuba39.5-0.3 pts
141Indonesia39.5+0.2 pts
142Brunei39.4+0.5 pts
143Kyrgyzstan39.3-0 pts
144Mali39.2+0.1 pts
145Belize38.1+0.8 pts
146Myanmar37.70 pts
147Nepal37+0.3 pts
148Malaysia36.9+0.1 pts
149Senegal36.3+0.1 pts
150Samoa36.1+0.2 pts
151Venezuela36.1+0.5 pts
152Uzbekistan35.8+0.1 pts
153Bangladesh35.6-0.9 pts
154Honduras34.9-2.3 pts
155Fiji34.1+0.2 pts
156Libya34-0 pts
157Türkiye33.8+0.6 pts
158Mauritania33.4+0.2 pts
159Sri Lanka32.7-0.6 pts
160Guatemala32.6-1.6 pts
161Somalia30.8+0.1 pts
162Djibouti30.3+0.4 pts
163Tunisia30-0.4 pts
164Tajikistan29.4+0.2 pts
165India27.5+0.9 pts
166Lebanon26.8-0.2 pts
167Kuwait23.8-0.6 pts
168Maldives22.7+0.2 pts
169Pakistan22.6+0.1 pts
170United Arab Emirates22.3-0.5 pts
171Morocco22.2+0.1 pts
172Bahrain21.2-0.1 pts
173Egypt20.6+2.9 pts
174Jordan19.1+1.8 pts
175Saudi Arabia19-0.2 pts
176Qatar18+0.2 pts
177Syria17.5-0.1 pts
178Algeria16.9+0.1 pts
179Iran16.8+0.4 pts
180Oman15.2-0.5 pts
181Iraq13.2-0.4 pts
182Yemen7.1-0.1 pts
183Afghanistan6.8-0 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. 3 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2023 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, 2023) [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, 2023. 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=2023. 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, 2023. 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=2023.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS), Countries by women in the labour force, 2023 [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=2023 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_women_in_2023,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Labor force, female (\% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS): Countries by women in the labour force, 2023}},
  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=2023. 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, 2023
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=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/countries?period=2023.
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 54.7% in 2023, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest women in the labour force?

Afghanistan, with 6.8% in 2023.

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. 3 countries have no value for 2023 and are not ranked.

Women in the labour force: other rankings

Countries: more rankings