Employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in Nepal
Nepal: Employment in industry, female (% of female employment) was 17.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in Nepal, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in Nepal is 17.6%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in Nepal peaked at 17.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 13.1%, in 1992.
That places Nepal 31st out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in Nepal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 13.5% | — |
| 1992 | 13.1% | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 13.3% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 13.5% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 13.7% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 13.9% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 13.7% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 13.5% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 13.4% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 13.5% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 13.6% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 13.5% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 13.7% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 13.9% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 14.1% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 14.3% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 14.5% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 14.7% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 15.2% | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 15.6% | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 15.8% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 15.9% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 16.1% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 16.5% | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 16.9% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 17.0% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 17.2% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 17.5% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 17.7% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 17.7% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 17.1% | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 17.3% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 17.3% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 17.4% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 17.6% | +1.1% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 17.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.5%, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 17.6% is above the median for South Asia, which is 16.9%, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.5% | 13.1% | 13.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.1% | 13.5% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.6% | 15.6% | 17.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.4% | 17.1% | 17.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More work & labour data for Nepal
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.593 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.568 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.6174 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.8524 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.99 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 13,496 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 22,611 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 16,146 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 15,685 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 31,831 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in Nepal?
- Employment in industry, female (% of female employment) in Nepal was 17.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry, female (% of female employment) recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 17.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest employment in industry, female (% of female employment) recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.1% in 1992.
- How does Nepal rank for employment in industry, female (% of female employment)?
- Nepal ranks 31st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in industry, 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).
About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).