Female labor force participation rate (Labour Force) in Zambia
Zambia: Female labor force participation rate (Labour Force) was 57.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Female labor force participation rate in Zambia, 1969–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 57.4% for female labor force participation rate in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and up 28.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rate in Zambia peaked at 74.0% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 16.4%, in 1969.
Zambia ranks 75th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Female labor force participation rate (Labour Force) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 16.4% | — |
| 1980 | 39.0% | +137.5% |
| 1990 | 31.9% | -18.2% |
| 1991 | 55.8% | +74.9% |
| 1998 | 57.0% | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 44.9% | -21.2% |
| 2005 | 74.0% | +64.7% |
| 2008 | 70.3% | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 59.1% | -15.9% |
| 2012 | 69.5% | +17.6% |
| 2015 | 44.5% | -35.9% |
| 2017 | 56.5% | +26.8% |
| 2018 | 52.3% | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 52.4% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 54.6% | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 54.2% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 54.0% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 56.4% | +4.4% |
| 2024 | 57.4% | +1.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 57.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 47.6%, 1.2× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 57.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 57.6%, 100% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Female labor force participation rate (Labour Force) in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +137.5% | 16.4% | 39.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 16.4% | 16.4% | 16.4% | 1 |
| 1980s | 39.0% | 39.0% | 39.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 48.2% | 31.9% | 57.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 63.1% | 44.9% | 74.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 55.7% | 44.5% | 69.5% | 6 |
| 2020s | 55.3% | 54.0% | 57.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More work & labour data for Zambia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5254 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.5224 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.7611 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.24 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 25,577 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 15,424 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 32,895 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 31,579 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 64,474 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female labor force participation rate in Zambia?
- Female labor force participation rate in Zambia was 57.4% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 74.0% in 2005.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rate recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.4% in 1969.
- How does Zambia rank for female labor force participation rate?
- Zambia ranks 75th out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is female labor force participation rate rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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 — 19 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.