Female labor force participation rate (Labour Force) in Egypt
Egypt: Female labor force participation rate (Labour Force) was 23.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Female labor force participation rate in Egypt, 1960–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Egypt recorded 23.8% for female labor force participation rate in 2024.
The figure is up 30.5% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rate in Egypt peaked at 30.0% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 1973.
Egypt ranks 183rd of 194 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Female labor force participation rate (Labour Force) in Egypt, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.2% | — |
| 1966 | 5.8% | +11.8% |
| 1973 | 4.4% | -25.3% |
| 1975 | 5.1% | +17.9% |
| 1976 | 6.4% | +24.9% |
| 1977 | 6.9% | +7.7% |
| 1978 | 8.3% | +20.3% |
| 1979 | 7.8% | -6.6% |
| 1980 | 7.4% | -4.7% |
| 1981 | 5.9% | -19.7% |
| 1982 | 5.8% | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 17.1% | +194.3% |
| 1984 | 18.0% | +5.2% |
| 1986 | 9.8% | -45.4% |
| 1989 | 30.0% | +204.6% |
| 1990 | 26.7% | -10.8% |
| 1991 | 22.0% | -17.6% |
| 1992 | 22.8% | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 22.1% | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 23.0% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 21.6% | -6.0% |
| 1996 | 14.5% | -32.9% |
| 1998 | 19.6% | +34.9% |
| 1999 | 20.4% | +4.2% |
| 2000 | 13.5% | -33.7% |
| 2001 | 20.2% | +49.4% |
| 2002 | 18.4% | -8.7% |
| 2005 | 23.1% | +25.4% |
| 2006 | 21.1% | -8.5% |
| 2007 | 23.2% | +9.6% |
| 2008 | 21.7% | -6.2% |
| 2009 | 22.8% | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 23.1% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 22.4% | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 22.4% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 22.9% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 23.1% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 22.7% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 22.9% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 21.9% | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 18.3% | -16.5% |
| 2019 | 15.6% | -14.7% |
| 2020 | 14.4% | -7.7% |
| 2021 | 15.3% | +6.5% |
| 2022 | 15.0% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 18.3% | +21.7% |
| 2024 | 23.8% | +30.5% |
Egypt compared with similar countries
- Egypt's 23.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 47.6%, 50% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Egypt's 23.8% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 26.7%, 89% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Female labor force participation rate (Labour Force) in Egypt 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | +204.6% | 9.8% | 30.0% |
| 1983 | +194.3% | 5.8% | 17.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.5% | 5.2% | 5.8% | 2 |
| 1970s | 6.5% | 4.4% | 8.3% | 6 |
| 1980s | 13.5% | 5.8% | 30.0% | 7 |
| 1990s | 21.4% | 14.5% | 26.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 20.5% | 13.5% | 23.2% | 8 |
| 2010s | 21.5% | 15.6% | 23.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.4% | 14.4% | 23.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
More work & labour data for Egypt
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0535 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0709 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0359 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3894 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.13 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 85,321 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 68,113 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 100,315 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 101,580 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 201,895 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female labor force participation rate in Egypt?
- Female labor force participation rate in Egypt was 23.8% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force participation rate recorded in Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 30.0% in 1989.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rate recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 1973.
- How does Egypt rank for female labor force participation rate?
- Egypt ranks 183rd out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is female labor force participation rate rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Egypt 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 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.