Female labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025 in Macao
Macao: Female labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025 was 67.2% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Female labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025 in Macao, 1960–2016
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2016, female labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025 in Macao stood at 67.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025 in Macao peaked at 68.1% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 18.3%, in 1960.
Macao ranks 25th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Female labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025 in Macao, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 18.3% | — |
| 1990 | 40.8% | +123.1% |
| 1991 | 40.4% | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 46.9% | +16.1% |
| 1993 | 46.7% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 47.9% | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 49.0% | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 56.4% | +15.2% |
| 1997 | 54.8% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 54.6% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 56.7% | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 60.5% | +6.9% |
| 2002 | 56.4% | -6.9% |
| 2003 | 53.2% | -5.7% |
| 2004 | 54.8% | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 56.8% | +3.8% |
| 2006 | 58.9% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 62.7% | +6.5% |
| 2008 | 64.3% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 66.5% | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 66.0% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 67.5% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 66.8% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 67.5% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 68.1% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 68.0% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 67.2% | -1.2% |
Macao compared with similar countries
- Macao's 67.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 57.2%, 1.2× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Macao's 67.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 54.1%, 1.2× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Female labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025 in Macao changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +123.1% | 18.3% | 40.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.3% | 18.3% | 18.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 48.6% | 40.4% | 56.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 59.1% | 53.2% | 66.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.3% | 66.0% | 68.1% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Macao
- 22 Togo 69.1% compare
- 23 Madagascar 68.9% compare
- 24 Vietnam 68.1% compare
- 26 Northern Mariana Islands 66.6% compare
- 27 New Zealand 66.5% compare
- 28 Vanuatu 66.3% compare
More work & labour data for Macao
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 208.94 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.82 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 420.81 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.74 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.769 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 206,074 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 117,019 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.99 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 2.38 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -0.2761 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025 in Macao?
- Female labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025 in Macao was 67.2% in 2016, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025 recorded in Macao?
- The highest recorded value was 68.1% in 2014.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025 recorded in Macao?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.3% in 1960.
- How does Macao rank for female labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025?
- Macao ranks 25th out of 194 countries with data for 2016.
- Is female labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025 rising or falling in Macao?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Macao 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 labor force participation rate: 1980 vs. 2025. 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 economically active (employed or unemployed). Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.