Gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation in France
France: Gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation was 11.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation in France, 1972–2020
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation in France stood at 11.6%.
That represents a change of down 8.6% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation in France peaked at 22.0% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 8.9%, in 2007.
France ranks 22nd of 67 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation in France, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 21.6% | — |
| 1973 | 21.2% | -1.7% |
| 1974 | 22.0% | +3.6% |
| 1975 | 21.3% | -3.1% |
| 1976 | 21.8% | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 21.7% | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 20.9% | -3.5% |
| 1979 | 20.8% | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 20.8% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 19.6% | -5.7% |
| 1985 | 18.6% | -5.5% |
| 1986 | 17.8% | -4.3% |
| 1987 | 18.2% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 11.1% | -39.0% |
| 2006 | 11.0% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 8.9% | -19.0% |
| 2008 | 10.8% | +21.3% |
| 2009 | 11.9% | +10.2% |
| 2010 | 11.3% | -5.7% |
| 2011 | 10.2% | -9.5% |
| 2012 | 12.2% | +19.4% |
| 2013 | 12.4% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 11.7% | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 10.7% | -8.0% |
| 2016 | 10.1% | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 11.6% | +15.1% |
| 2018 | 10.5% | -9.8% |
| 2019 | 12.6% | +20.4% |
| 2020 | 11.6% | -8.6% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 11.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 14.9%, 78% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- France's 11.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.7%, 1.1× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 21.4% | 20.8% | 22.0% | 8 |
| 1980s | 19.0% | 17.8% | 20.8% | 5 |
| 2000s | 10.8% | 8.9% | 11.9% | 5 |
| 2010s | 11.3% | 10.1% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.6% | 11.6% | 11.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near France
- 19 Switzerland 13.3% compare
- 20 Palestine, State of 13.2% compare
- 21 Mongolia 11.9%
- 23 Tanzania, United Republic of 11.3% compare
- 24 Cambodia 11.1% compare
- 25 Botswana 10.9%
More work & labour data for France
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.028 % 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 -0.0063 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.3323 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 62,374 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 8,235 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 35,191 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 33,294 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 68,485 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation in France?
- Gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation in France was 11.6% in 2020, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 22.0% in 1974.
- What is the lowest gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.9% in 2007.
- How does France rank for gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation?
- France ranks 22nd out of 67 countries with data for 2020.
- Is gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender wage gap vs. ratio of female-to-male labor force participation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Difference between average earnings of men and average earnings of women expressed as a percentage of average earnings of men.