Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) was 44.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) recorded 44.0% for labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) peaked at 48.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 42.5%, in 2020.
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 39th of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 48.4% | — |
| 1991 | 48.6% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 48.4% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 47.0% | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 48.3% | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 48.1% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 47.6% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 46.9% | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 46.8% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 46.8% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 45.6% | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 45.5% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 45.5% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 45.0% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 43.6% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 43.3% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 43.1% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 42.9% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 42.9% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 43.2% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 43.6% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 43.8% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 43.7% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 43.8% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 43.6% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 43.9% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 44.1% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 44.2% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 44.2% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 44.1% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 42.5% | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 43.1% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 43.3% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 43.6% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 44.2% | +1.2% |
| 2025 | 44.0% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 47.7% | 46.8% | 48.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.1% | 42.9% | 45.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.9% | 43.6% | 44.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.5% | 42.5% | 44.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- 36 Zimbabwe 62.2% compare
- 37 Norway 62.1% compare
- 38 Saint Lucia 62.0% compare
- 39 Qatar 61.9% compare
- 40 Democratic Republic of Congo 61.8% compare
- 41 East Timor 61.7% compare
- 42 Laos 61.6% compare
More work & labour data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 69.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 56.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 31.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 49.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 40.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 76.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 50.6% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 64.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 63.6% (2025)
- Contributing family workers, male (% of male employment) 4.4% (2025)
All data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) was 44.0% 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 Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 48.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.5% in 2020.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) rank for labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages)?
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 39th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 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.