Female labor force participation rates in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Female labor force participation rates was 38.65 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
38.65
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
153rd
of 186 countries
All-time high
43.69
in 2022
All-time low
24.21
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Female labor force participation rates in Bangladesh, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, female labor force participation rates in Bangladesh stood at 38.65.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rates in Bangladesh peaked at 43.69 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 24.21, in 1990.
Bangladesh ranks 153rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Female labor force participation rates in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 24.21 | — |
| 1991 | 24.56 | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 24.98 | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 25.43 | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 25.93 | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 26.47 | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 27.02 | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 27.53 | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 27.97 | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 28.34 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 28.67 | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 28.88 | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 28.98 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 29.05 | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 29.12 | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 29.19 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 29.24 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 30.8 | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 32.4 | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 34.04 | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 35.72 | +4.9% |
| 2011 | 35.02 | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 34.32 | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 33.62 | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 33.57 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 33.53 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 33.5 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 36.68 | +9.5% |
| 2018 | 38.06 | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 39.33 | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 40.32 | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 42.18 | +4.6% |
| 2022 | 43.69 | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 41.87 | -4.1% |
| 2024 | 38.71 | -7.6% |
| 2025 | 38.65 | -0.2% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 38.65 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49.67, 78% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 38.65 is above the median for South Asia, which is 35.54, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26.24 | 24.21 | 28.34 | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.04 | 28.67 | 34.04 | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.33 | 33.5 | 39.33 | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.9 | 38.65 | 43.69 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More work & labour data for Bangladesh
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4985 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4763 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.5215 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 117,837 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 84,090 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 104,333 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 104,263 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 208,597 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female labor force participation rates in Bangladesh?
- Female labor force participation rates in Bangladesh was 38.65 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force participation rates recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 43.69 in 2022.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rates recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.21 in 1990.
- How does Bangladesh rank for female labor force participation rates?
- Bangladesh ranks 153rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female labor force participation rates rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Female labor force participation rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).