Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in OECD members
OECD members: Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) was 54.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in OECD members, 1979–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
OECD members recorded 54.0% for labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in OECD members peaked at 54.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 41.9%, in 1979.
OECD members ranks 4th of 24 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in OECD members, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 41.9% | — |
| 1980 | 42.5% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 45.4% | +6.8% |
| 1983 | 46.1% | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 46.8% | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 46.6% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 47.4% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 48.3% | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 47.5% | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 48.9% | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 46.4% | -5.1% |
| 1991 | 50.2% | +8.0% |
| 1992 | 50.8% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 50.9% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 51.1% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 51.1% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 51.3% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 51.2% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 51.5% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 51.9% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 50.6% | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 49.6% | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 49.8% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 50.0% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 49.9% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 50.2% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 50.5% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 50.6% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 50.9% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 51.1% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 51.2% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 51.3% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 51.5% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 51.6% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 51.6% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 51.7% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 51.9% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 52.2% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 52.4% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 52.8% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 51.4% | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 52.2% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 53.0% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 53.6% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 53.9% | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 54.0% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 41.9% | 41.9% | 41.9% | 1 |
| 1980s | 46.6% | 42.5% | 48.9% | 9 |
| 1990s | 50.7% | 46.4% | 51.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.3% | 49.6% | 51.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.8% | 51.2% | 52.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.0% | 51.4% | 54.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
- 1 Tanzania, United Republic of 81.7% compare
- 2 Bermuda 81.0% compare
- 2 Cayman Islands 81.0% compare
- 4 Nigeria 80.5% compare
- 5 Isle of Man 80.1% compare
- 6 Faroe Islands 79.4% compare
- 7 Burundi 78.3% compare
More work & labour data for OECD members
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 53.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 60.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 43.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 73.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.4% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 78.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 68.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in OECD members?
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) in OECD members was 54.0% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) recorded in OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 54.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.9% in 1979.
- How does OECD members rank for labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages)?
- OECD members ranks 4th out of 24 groups with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this OECD members data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.