Labor force participation rate, female (% of female) … female 15+ in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Labor force participation rate, female (% of female) … female 15+ was 61.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Democratic Republic of Congo is 61.8%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 72.0% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 60.3%, in 2020.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 40th out of 187 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.
Labor force participation rate, female (% of female) … female 15+ in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 71.8% | — |
| 1991 | 71.8% | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 71.8% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 71.8% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 71.9% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 72.0% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 71.7% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 71.4% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 71.4% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 71.4% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 71.4% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 71.3% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 71.3% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 71.3% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 71.3% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 71.3% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 70.1% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 68.9% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 67.6% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 66.4% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 65.1% | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 63.8% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 62.5% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 62.3% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 62.0% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 61.8% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 61.7% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 61.5% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 61.3% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 61.0% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 60.3% | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 60.5% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 61.4% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 61.7% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 61.9% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 61.8% | -0.1% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 61.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 60.3%, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 61.8% 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 | 71.7% | 71.4% | 72.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 70.1% | 66.4% | 71.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.3% | 61.0% | 65.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.3% | 60.3% | 61.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More work & labour data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 23,407 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 64.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 41,856 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.48 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 4,595 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 1,696 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 61.26 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.69 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 3.33 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Democratic Republic of Congo was 61.8% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 72.0% in 1995.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.3% in 2020.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages)?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 40th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The labor force participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the population ages 15 and older. The labor force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed.