Employers, female (% of female employment) in Portugal

Portugal: Employers, female (% of female employment) was 3.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
3.0%
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
45th
of 187 countries
All-time high
3.8%
in 2003
All-time low
2.4%
in 2017
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Employers, female (% of female employment) in Portugal, 1991–2025

012341991200820251991: 2.91992: 2.81993: 2.91994: 3.11995: 3.21996: 3.51997: 3.61998: 3.71999: 3.62000: 3.52001: 3.72002: 3.72003: 3.82004: 3.62005: 3.62006: 3.52007: 3.62008: 3.62009: 3.52010: 3.42011: 3.12012: 3.22013: 3.12014: 2.82015: 2.62016: 2.52017: 2.42018: 2.52019: 2.62020: 2.62021: 2.62022: 2.82023: 2.82024: 2.92025: 3

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).

Analysis

In 2025, employers, female (% of female employment) in Portugal stood at 3.0%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 14.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employers, female (% of female employment) in Portugal peaked at 3.8% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2017.

Portugal ranks 45th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Employers, female (% of female employment) in Portugal, year by year

Annual values for Employers, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Portugal, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 2.9%
1992 2.8% -3.6%
1993 2.9% +3.5%
1994 3.1% +7.7%
1995 3.2% +3.7%
1996 3.5% +8.1%
1997 3.6% +4.4%
1998 3.7% +2.6%
1999 3.6% -2.5%
2000 3.5% -2.2%
2001 3.7% +3.7%
2002 3.7% +2.3%
2003 3.8% +2.4%
2004 3.6% -5.7%
2005 3.6% +0.5%
2006 3.5% -3.5%
2007 3.6% +2.5%
2008 3.6% -0.0%
2009 3.5% -1.8%
2010 3.4% -4.6%
2011 3.1% -8.5%
2012 3.2% +3.4%
2013 3.1% -1.2%
2014 2.8% -12.1%
2015 2.6% -6.4%
2016 2.5% -3.5%
2017 2.4% -2.0%
2018 2.5% +0.6%
2019 2.6% +5.2%
2020 2.6% -1.4%
2021 2.6% +3.8%
2022 2.8% +6.6%
2023 2.8% +0.5%
2024 2.9% +2.9%
2025 3.0% +1.4%

Portugal compared with similar countries

  • Portugal's 3.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.1%, 1.4× the median. (62 countries reporting)
  • Portugal's 3.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.0%, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3.2% 2.8% 3.7% 9
2000s 3.6% 3.5% 3.8% 10
2010s 2.8% 2.4% 3.4% 10
2020s 2.8% 2.6% 3.0% 6

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 42 Spain 3.0% compare
  2. 43 Brazil 3.0% compare
  3. 44 France 3.0% compare
  4. 46 Eritrea 2.9% compare
  5. 47 Paraguay 2.8% compare
  6. 48 Nicaragua 2.8% compare

See the full ranking of 235 places →

More work & labour data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is employers, female (% of female employment) in Portugal?
Employers, female (% of female employment) in Portugal was 3.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest employers, female (% of female employment) recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 2003.
What is the lowest employers, female (% of female employment) recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2017.
How does Portugal rank for employers, female (% of female employment)?
Portugal ranks 45th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
Is employers, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Portugal data come from?
The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employers, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Employers, female (% of female employment) in Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/employers-female-percent-of-female-employment-modeled-ilo-estimate/portugal/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/employers-female-percent-of-female-employment-modeled-ilo-estimate/portugal/">Employers, female (% of female employment) in Portugal</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Employers, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
235 places, 8,211 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Employers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs" i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced), and, in this capacity, have engaged, on a continuous basis, one or more persons to work for them as employee(s).