Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Barbados
Barbados: Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 was 56.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Barbados, 1978–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Barbados recorded 56.0% for female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in 2024.
That represents a change of up 4.9% on the previous year and up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Barbados peaked at 56.5% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 27.7%, in 1978.
That places Barbados 55th out of 172 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Barbados, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 27.7% | — |
| 1983 | 43.8% | +58.4% |
| 1986 | 44.4% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 44.9% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 46.6% | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 49.8% | +6.9% |
| 1990 | 48.0% | -3.6% |
| 1991 | 46.0% | -4.3% |
| 1992 | 44.0% | -4.3% |
| 1994 | 44.0% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 48.5% | +10.3% |
| 1996 | 50.6% | +4.3% |
| 1997 | 51.0% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 55.9% | +9.6% |
| 2011 | 55.6% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 53.6% | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 54.8% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 52.6% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 55.4% | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 56.5% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 55.2% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 54.4% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 54.8% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 49.7% | -9.2% |
| 2022 | 53.8% | +8.2% |
| 2023 | 53.4% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 56.0% | +4.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 27.7% | 27.7% | 27.7% | 1 |
| 1980s | 45.9% | 43.8% | 49.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 47.4% | 44.0% | 51.0% | 7 |
| 2000s | 55.9% | 55.9% | 55.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 54.8% | 52.6% | 56.5% | 9 |
| 2020s | 53.2% | 49.7% | 56.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
- 52 Burkina Faso 56.8% compare
- 53 Denmark 56.6% compare
- 54 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 56.6% compare
- 56 Republic of Korea 55.7% compare
- 57 Cuba 55.3% compare
- 58 Cameroon 55.3% compare
More work & labour data for Barbados
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7079 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6853 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7302 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9854 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8257 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 114.42 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 165.89 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 97.75 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 96.95 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 194.7 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Barbados?
- Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 in Barbados was 56.0% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 56.5% in 2016.
- What is the lowest female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.7% in 1978.
- How does Barbados rank for female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024?
- Barbados ranks 55th out of 172 countries with data for 2024.
- Is female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024 rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Female employment rate, 1980 vs. 2024. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the female working-age population who are employed. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.