China vs India: Female labor force by age
China
18.65 million people
in 2024
India
6.22 million people
in 2024
China rank
1st
India rank
2nd
Female labor force by age over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 18.65 million people against 6.22 million people in India, a difference of 12.43 million people.
That makes China's figure about 3.0 times India's.
Across all 35 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 188 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.85 million people | 2.29 million people | 2.56 million people | China |
| 2000s | 8.86 million people | 3.41 million people | 5.45 million people | China |
| 2010s | 12.07 million people | 3.90 million people | 8.17 million people | China |
| 2020s | 17.57 million people | 5.14 million people | 12.43 million people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher female labor force by age, China or India?
- China, at 18.65 million people against 6.22 million people in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in female labor force by age between China and India?
- 12.43 million people, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do China and India rank globally for female labor force by age?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 188 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Female labor force by age. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Working-age population who are economically active (employed or unemployed).