Countries With the Most and Least Women in the Workforce
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This map shows the top and bottom 10 countries by the percentage of their women population (aged 15+) in the labor force. This is also called the female workforce participation rate.
Data for this graphic is sourced from the World Bank, which aggregates International Labour Organization estimates from 2023.
Ranked: Countries By Rate of Women in the Workforce
Madagascar, Burundi, and Mozambique have some of the highest women workforce participation rates in the world (near 80%).
Here’s a full ranking of countries by their female workforce participation rate.
| Rank | Country | Female Labor Force Participation Rate (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | 83% |
| 2 | 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | 83% |
| 3 | 🇧🇮 Burundi | 79% |
| 4 | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | 78% |
| 5 | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | 77% |
| 6 | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 75% |
| 7 | 🇦🇴 Angola | 73% |
| 8 | 🇱🇷 Liberia | 72% |
| 9 | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 72% |
| 10 | 🇲🇩 Moldova | 72% |
| 11 | 🇪🇷 Eritrea | 71% |
| 12 | 🇸🇸 South Sudan | 70% |
| 13 | 🇮🇸 Iceland | 70% |
| 14 | 🇰🇵 North Korea | 70% |
| 15 | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | 70% |
| 16 | 🇻🇳 Viet Nam | 69% |
| 17 | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 68% |
| 18 | 🇺🇬 Uganda | 68% |
| 19 | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 67% |
| 20 | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 67% |
| 21 | 🇨🇩 Congo | 67% |
| 22 | 🇵🇪 Peru | 66% |
| 23 | 🇧🇸 Bahamas | 65% |
| 24 | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 65% |
| 25 | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | 65% |
| 26 | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 64% |
| 27 | 🇲🇼 Malawi | 64% |
| 28 | 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | 63% |
| 29 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 63% |
| 30 | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 63% |
| 31 | 🇲🇴 Macao | 63% |
| 32 | 🇨🇩 DRC | 63% |
| 33 | 🇱🇨 St. Lucia | 63% |
| 34 | 🇳🇪 Niger | 62% |
| 35 | 🇳🇴 Norway | 62% |
| 36 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 62% |
| 37 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 62% |
| 38 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 62% |
| 39 | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 61% |
| 40 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 61% |
| 41 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 61% |
| 42 | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 61% |
| 43 | 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste | 61% |
| 44 | 🇭🇹 Haiti | 61% |
| 45 | 🇮🇱 Israel | 61% |
| 46 | 🇻🇺 Vanuatu | 61% |
| 47 | 🇨🇳 China | 61% |
| 48 | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 60% |
| 49 | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 60% |
| 50 | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 60% |
| 51 | 🇧🇼 Botswana | 60% |
| 52 | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 60% |
| 53 | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 60% |
| 54 | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | 60% |
| 55 | 🇧🇾 Belarus | 59% |
| 56 | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 59% |
| 57 | 🇧🇧 Barbados | 59% |
| 58 | 🇬🇧 UK | 58% |
| 59 | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 58% |
| 60 | 🇫🇮 Finland | 58% |
| 61 | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 58% |
| 62 | 🇱🇸 Lesotho | 58% |
| 63 | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 57% |
| 64 | 🇲🇹 Malta | 57% |
| 65 | 🇦🇹 Austria | 57% |
| 66 | 🇧🇯 Benin | 57% |
| 67 | 🇨🇮 Cote d’Ivoire | 57% |
| 68 | 🇺🇸 U.S. | 57% |
| 69 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 56% |
| 70 | 🇬🇲 Gambia | 56% |
| 71 | 🇬🇺 Guam | 56% |
| 72 | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 56% |
| 73 | 🇹🇬 Togo | 56% |
| 74 | 🇦🇲 Armenia | 56% |
| 75 | 🇱🇦 Laos | 56% |
| 76 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 56% |
| 77 | 🇳🇦 Namibia | 56% |
| 78 | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 56% |
| 79 | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 56% |
| 80 | 🇧🇳 Brunei | 55% |
| 81 | 🇦🇪 UAE | 55% |
| 82 | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 55% |
| 83 | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | 55% |
| 84 | 🇻🇨 St. Vincent & the Grenadines | 55% |
| 85 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 55% |
| 86 | 🇷🇺 Russia | 55% |
| 87 | 🇬🇪 Georgia | 54% |
| 88 | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 54% |
| 89 | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 54% |
| 90 | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyz Republic | 54% |
| 91 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 53% |
| 92 | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 53% |
| 93 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 53% |
| 94 | 🇦🇱 Albania | 53% |
| 95 | 🇫🇷 France | 53% |
| 96 | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | 53% |
| 97 | 🇳🇨 New Caledonia | 53% |
| 98 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 53% |
| 99 | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 52% |
| 100 | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 52% |
| 101 | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 52% |
| 102 | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 52% |
| 103 | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 52% |
| 104 | 🇨🇱 Chile | 52% |
| 105 | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 52% |
| 106 | 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | 52% |
| 107 | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 52% |
| 108 | 🇲🇱 Mali | 52% |
| 109 | 🇵🇱 Poland | 52% |
| 110 | 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | 52% |
| 111 | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 51% |
| 112 | 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde | 51% |
| 113 | 🇬🇬 Channel Islands | 51% |
| 114 | 🇷🇸 Serbia | 51% |
| 115 | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 51% |
| 116 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 51% |
| 117 | 🇵🇦 Panama | 50% |
| 118 | 🇧🇿 Belize | 50% |
| 119 | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 50% |
| 120 | 🇭🇳 Honduras | 50% |
| 121 | 🇵🇫 French Polynesia | 49% |
| 122 | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 49% |
| 123 | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | 49% |
| 124 | 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | 49% |
| 125 | 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau | 49% |
| 126 | 🇹🇩 Chad | 49% |
| 127 | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 48% |
| 128 | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | 48% |
| 129 | 🇸🇿 Eswatini | 47% |
| 130 | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 47% |
| 131 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 47% |
| 132 | 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | 46% |
| 133 | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | 46% |
| 134 | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | 46% |
| 135 | 🇬🇷 Greece | 45% |
| 136 | 🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands | 45% |
| 137 | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 45% |
| 138 | 🇸🇷 Suriname | 45% |
| 139 | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | 44% |
| 140 | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 43% |
| 141 | 🇹🇴 Tonga | 43% |
| 142 | 🇲🇻 Maldives | 43% |
| 143 | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | 43% |
| 144 | 🇬🇳 Guinea | 42% |
| 145 | 🇷🇴 Romania | 42% |
| 146 | 🇨🇺 Cuba | 42% |
| 147 | 🇲🇲 Myanmar | 42% |
| 148 | 🇼🇸 Samoa | 41% |
| 149 | 🇮🇹 Italy | 41% |
| 150 | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 41% |
| 151 | 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina | 41% |
| 152 | 🇬🇦 Gabon | 40% |
| 153 | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 40% |
| 154 | 🇬🇾 Guyana | 40% |
| 155 | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | 39% |
| 156 | 🇫🇯 Fiji | 39% |
| 157 | 🇸🇹 Sao Tome & Principe | 38% |
| 158 | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 38% |
| 159 | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 37% |
| 160 | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | 35% |
| 161 | 🇱🇾 Libya | 35% |
| 162 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 35% |
| 163 | 🇰🇲 Comoros | 33% |
| 164 | 🇮🇳 India | 33% |
| 165 | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 32% |
| 166 | 🇴🇲 Oman | 32% |
| 167 | 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 32% |
| 168 | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | 32% |
| 169 | 🇳🇵 Nepal | 29% |
| 170 | 🇸🇩 Sudan | 28% |
| 171 | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | 28% |
| 172 | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 27% |
| 173 | 🇲🇷 Mauritania | 26% |
| 174 | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 25% |
| 175 | 🇸🇴 Somalia | 21% |
| 176 | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 20% |
| 177 | 🇩🇯 Djibouti | 19% |
| 178 | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 17% |
| 179 | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 17% |
| 180 | 🇸🇾 Syria | 14% |
| 181 | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 14% |
| 182 | 🇮🇷 Iran | 14% |
| 183 | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 11% |
| 184 | 🇾🇪 Yemen | 5% |
| 185 | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 5% |
Note: Figures rounded and based on International Labour Organization’s estimates as of 2023.
On the other hand, Afghanistan and Yemen are currently estimated to have the lowest percentage of working-aged women in their workforce at 5%.
By glancing through the bottom 20, it’s apparent that countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia exhibit notably lower rates of women in the workforce.
As Our World in Data points out, female labor force participation peaks in some of the richest and poorest countries in the world. But is lowest in countries with average national incomes.
More people in the workforce can contribute to economic growth and productivity. As women make up roughly half the population, their participation can be a major driver of economic expansion.
