Female labor force participation rates in Kenya
Kenya: Female labor force participation rates was 63.04 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
63.04
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
29th
of 186 countries
All-time high
71.42
in 2016
All-time low
62.17
in 2020
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Female labor force participation rates in Kenya, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 63.04 for female labor force participation rates in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rates in Kenya peaked at 71.42 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 62.17, in 2020.
That places Kenya 29th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Female labor force participation rates in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 69.73 | — |
| 1991 | 69.8 | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 69.86 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 69.93 | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 70.01 | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 70.09 | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 70.17 | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 70.25 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 70.33 | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 70.42 | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 70.47 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 70.53 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 70.59 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 70.65 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 70.7 | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 70.76 | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 70.82 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 70.88 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 70.94 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 71 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 71.06 | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 71.11 | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 71.17 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 71.23 | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 71.3 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 71.36 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 71.42 | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 68.69 | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 65.81 | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 62.82 | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 62.17 | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 62.67 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 62.83 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 62.95 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 63.01 | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 63.04 | +0.0% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 63.04 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 49.67, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 63.04 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 57.3, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 70.06 | 69.73 | 70.42 | 10 |
| 2000s | 70.73 | 70.47 | 71 | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.6 | 62.82 | 71.42 | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.78 | 62.17 | 63.04 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More work & labour data for Kenya
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0278 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0073 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2281 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.98 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 44,185 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 51,282 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 53,727 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 50,468 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 104,196 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female labor force participation rates in Kenya?
- Female labor force participation rates in Kenya was 63.04 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force participation rates recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 71.42 in 2016.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rates recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.17 in 2020.
- How does Kenya rank for female labor force participation rates?
- Kenya ranks 29th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female labor force participation rates rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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).