EU countries by women in the labour force
Lithuania had the highest women in the labour force of 27 EU countries in 2014, at 50.1%. Malta had the lowest, at 38.4%. The median was 46.3%. Source: the World Bank.
Map of EU countries, 2014
- Under 45
- 45 to 46
- 46 to 48
- 48 and over
All EU countries, 2014
Full ranking
| Rank | EU countries | 2014 (%) | Change on 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lithuania | 50.1 | +0.1 pts |
| 2 | Latvia | 49.6 | -0.4 pts |
| 3 | Portugal | 48.6 | +0.1 pts |
| 4 | Estonia | 48.3 | -0.6 pts |
| 5 | Finland | 48.2 | 0 pts |
| 6 | France | 47.7 | +0.1 pts |
| 7 | Sweden | 47.5 | 0 pts |
| 8 | Denmark | 47.2 | -0.4 pts |
| 9 | Hungary | 47.1 | -0.2 pts |
| 10 | Austria | 46.9 | +0.1 pts |
| 11 | Bulgaria | 46.5 | -0.1 pts |
| 12 | Croatia | 46.4 | +0.5 pts |
| 13 | Netherlands | 46.4 | -0.2 pts |
| 14 | Germany | 46.3 | +0.1 pts |
| 15 | Slovenia | 46.1 | +0.3 pts |
| 16 | Belgium | 46 | +0.3 pts |
| 17 | Spain | 45.8 | +0.2 pts |
| 18 | Ireland | 45.3 | -0.1 pts |
| 19 | Cyprus | 45.3 | +0.8 pts |
| 20 | Poland | 45.1 | 0 pts |
| 21 | Slovakia | 45 | +0.5 pts |
| 22 | Luxembourg | 44.4 | +0.2 pts |
| 23 | Greece | 44.2 | +0.8 pts |
| 24 | Czechia | 43.9 | -0.1 pts |
| 25 | Romania | 43.4 | -0 pts |
| 26 | Italy | 42.4 | +0.2 pts |
| 27 | Malta | 38.4 | +0.5 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 EU 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
APA 7
World Bank. (2026). Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS) (EU countries by women in the labour force, 2014) [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), EU countries by women in the labour force, 2014. 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/eu-countries?period=2014. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
World Bank. 2026. Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS). EU countries by women in the labour force, 2014. 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/eu-countries?period=2014.
Harvard
World Bank (2026) Labor force, female (% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS), EU countries by women in the labour force, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/eu-countries?period=2014 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{world_eu_countries_by_women_2014,
author = {{World Bank}},
title = {{Labor force, female (\% of total labor force) (SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS): EU countries by women in the labour force, 2014}},
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/eu-countries?period=2014. 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): EU countries by women in the labour force, 2014
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/eu-countries?period=2014
Y2 - 2026/10/18
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/women-share-of-labor-force/eu-countries?period=2014.
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 -
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 EU countries by women in the labour force using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"labor_force_female_share","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=labor_force_female_share&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(27)&limit=10Questions
Which EU country has the highest women in the labour force?
Lithuania, with 50.1% in 2014, according to the World Bank.
Which EU country has the lowest women in the labour force?
Malta, with 38.4% in 2014.
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.