Female labor force participation rates in Iran
Iran: Female labor force participation rates was 14.01 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
14.01
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
182nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
18.68
in 2005
All-time low
9.57
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Female labor force participation rates in Iran, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, female labor force participation rates in Iran stood at 14.01.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rates in Iran peaked at 18.68 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 9.57, in 1990.
That places Iran 182nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 9.57 | — |
| 1991 | 9.77 | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 9.91 | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 10.05 | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 10.21 | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 10.39 | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 10.59 | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 11.3 | +6.7% |
| 1998 | 12.06 | +6.7% |
| 1999 | 12.85 | +6.6% |
| 2000 | 13.69 | +6.5% |
| 2001 | 14.58 | +6.5% |
| 2002 | 15.5 | +6.3% |
| 2003 | 16.49 | +6.4% |
| 2004 | 17.55 | +6.5% |
| 2005 | 18.68 | +6.4% |
| 2006 | 18.04 | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 17 | -5.7% |
| 2008 | 14.76 | -13.2% |
| 2009 | 15.69 | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 15.14 | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 13.6 | -10.2% |
| 2012 | 14.89 | +9.5% |
| 2013 | 13.34 | -10.4% |
| 2014 | 12.99 | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 14.36 | +10.5% |
| 2016 | 16.17 | +12.6% |
| 2017 | 17.36 | +7.3% |
| 2018 | 17.34 | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 16.81 | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 13.72 | -18.4% |
| 2021 | 13.09 | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 13.47 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 14.13 | +4.9% |
| 2024 | 14.14 | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 14.01 | -0.9% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 14.01 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 51.06, 27% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iran's 14.01 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 22.23, 63% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.67 | 9.57 | 12.85 | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.2 | 13.69 | 18.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.2 | 12.99 | 17.36 | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.76 | 13.09 | 14.14 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More work & labour data for Iran
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 44,188 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 40.34 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 29,874 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 8.53 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2.43 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 57,320 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 20,416 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 36.89 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.89 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.574 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female labor force participation rates in Iran?
- Female labor force participation rates in Iran was 14.01 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force participation rates recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 18.68 in 2005.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rates recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.57 in 1990.
- How does Iran rank for female labor force participation rates?
- Iran ranks 182nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female labor force participation rates rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran 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).