Female labor force participation rate in Norway
Norway: Female labor force participation rate was 61.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Female labor force participation rate in Norway, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Norway recorded 61.7% for female labor force participation rate in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rate in Norway peaked at 70.6% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 23.8%, in 1960.
That places Norway 48th out of 194 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 23.8% | 23.8% | 23.8% | 1 |
| 1970s | 27.7% | 27.7% | 27.7% | 1 |
| 1980s | 59.6% | 55.2% | 63.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 64.9% | 62.2% | 69.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.4% | 68.3% | 70.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.7% | 64.5% | 68.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.8% | 60.7% | 62.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Norway
- 45 Azerbaijan 61.9% compare
- 45 Estonia 61.9% compare
- 47 Burkina Faso 61.9% compare
- 49 Laos 61.5% compare
- 51 Paraguay 61.3% compare
More work & labour data for Norway
- 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+) 65.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 69.1% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 89.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 62.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 80.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 82.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 78.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female labor force participation rate in Norway?
- Female labor force participation rate in Norway was 61.7% in 2025, 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 70.6% in 2008.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rate recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.8% in 1960.
- How does Norway rank for female labor force participation rate?
- Norway ranks 48th out of 194 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female labor force participation rate rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway 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 — 48 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.