Countries with the Biggest Gender Disparities in Workforces
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This graphic ranks the countries with the biggest gender disparities in their labor forces by contrasting the average male and female labor force participation rate and measuring the gap between them.
Data for this graphic is sourced from the World Bank, which aggregates 2023 International Labour Organization estimates.
Ranked: Differences in Male and Female Labor Participation Rates
The top 10 countries with the highest discrepancies between male and female labor participation rates are Islamic nations:
| Rank | Country | Male Labor Force Participation Rate (%) |
Female Labor Force Participation Rate (%) |
Gender Disparity (In percentage points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 69 | 5 | 64 |
| 2 | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 72 | 11 | 61 |
| 3 | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 81 | 25 | 57 |
| 4 | 🇴🇲 Oman | 88 | 32 | 56 |
| 5 | 🇮🇷 Iran | 71 | 14 | 56 |
| 6 | 🇾🇪 Yemen | 60 | 5 | 55 |
| 7 | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 71 | 17 | 55 |
| 8 | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 67 | 17 | 50 |
| 9 | 🇸🇾 Syria | 64 | 14 | 50 |
| 10 | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 63 | 14 | 49 |
| 11 | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 68 | 20 | 49 |
| 12 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 80 | 35 | 45 |
| 13 | 🇮🇳 India | 77 | 33 | 44 |
| 14 | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 80 | 37 | 43 |
| 15 | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | 87 | 44 | 43 |
| 16 | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 69 | 27 | 42 |
| 17 | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 81 | 41 | 40 |
| 18 | 🇸🇩 Sudan | 68 | 28 | 40 |
| 19 | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 72 | 32 | 40 |
| 20 | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | 86 | 48 | 38 |
| N/A | 🌍 World | 73 | 49 | 24 |
Note: Figures rounded and based on International Labour Organization’s estimates as of 2023.
In countries such as Pakistan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, the male labor force participation rates are higher than the global average. Meanwhile the female participation rates are 50+ percentage points lower than the corresponding male rates, and 15-25 points below the global female average.
For the other countries in the top 10 by labor participation rate differential, the average male participation rate is also below the global average. This could indicate a lack of general economic opportunities with the nation.
Finally, India (#13), Guatemala (#17) and Sri Lanka (#19) are three countries in the top 20 with a non-Islamic majority population.
