Female employment rate in Canada
Canada: Female employment rate was 57.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Female employment rate in Canada, 1976–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, female employment rate in Canada stood at 57.1%.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female employment rate in Canada peaked at 58.9% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 41.9%, in 1976.
That places Canada 50th out of 172 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 43.2% | 41.9% | 45.1% | 4 |
| 1980s | 49.2% | 46.4% | 53.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.7% | 51.5% | 54.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.4% | 55.4% | 58.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.7% | 57.3% | 58.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.0% | 54.1% | 58.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More work & labour data for Canada
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 64.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 68.9% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 87.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 60.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 80.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 83.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 76.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female employment rate in Canada?
- Female employment rate in Canada was 57.1% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female employment rate recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 58.9% in 2008.
- What is the lowest female employment rate recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.9% in 1976.
- How does Canada rank for female employment rate?
- Canada ranks 50th out of 172 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female employment rate rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 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.