Labour indicators rates - Regions — Labour force participation rate, gender difference by country
<p>This dataset provides indicators on participation rate, employment to population ratio and unemployment rate, in large regions (TL2) and, where available, in small regions (TL3).</p> <p><strong>Data definition and source</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The labour force status is presented by sex,...
What the numbers show
Labour indicators rates - Regions — Labour force participation rate, gender difference is currently reported for 43 countries. The highest value is 0 Percentage points in Peru; the lowest is -33.5 Percentage points in Mexico.
The median across all reporting countries is -9.9 Percentage points, and the mean is -11.89 Percentage points.
Over the past decade 37 countries rose and 5 fell. The largest increase was in Peru (up 100.0%), and the largest decrease in Iceland (down 62.3%).
Labour indicators rates - Regions — Labour force participation rate: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peru | 0 Percentage points | 2014 | up 100.0% | volatile |
| 2 | Sweden | -6.3 Percentage points | 2025 | up 11.3% | rising |
| 3 | Finland | -6.5 Percentage points | 2025 | up 5.8% | rising |
| 4 | France | -7 Percentage points | 2025 | up 23.9% | rising |
| 5 | Luxembourg | -7.5 Percentage points | 2025 | up 30.6% | rising |
| 5 | Norway | -7.5 Percentage points | 2025 | down 38.9% | rising |
| 7 | Portugal | -7.7 Percentage points | 2025 | up 27.4% | rising |
| 8 | Australia | -8 Percentage points | 2025 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 9 | Canada | -8.5 Percentage points | 2024 | up 10.5% | rising |
| 10 | Belgium | -8.6 Percentage points | 2025 | up 21.1% | rising |
| 10 | Netherlands | -8.6 Percentage points | 2025 | up 23.9% | rising |
| 12 | Slovenia | -9 Percentage points | 2025 | up 18.2% | rising |
| 12 | Austria | -9 Percentage points | 2025 | up 18.2% | rising |
| 14 | Switzerland | -9.1 Percentage points | 2025 | up 23.5% | rising |
| 15 | Lithuania | -9.2 Percentage points | 2025 | up 12.4% | rising |
| 15 | Spain | -9.2 Percentage points | 2025 | up 21.4% | rising |
| 15 | United Kingdom | -9.2 Percentage points | 2023 | up 24.0% | rising |
| 15 | Estonia | -9.2 Percentage points | 2025 | up 29.8% | rising |
| 19 | Denmark | -9.5 Percentage points | 2025 | down 2.2% | rising |
| 19 | New Zealand | -9.5 Percentage points | 2021 | up 22.1% | rising |
| 21 | Croatia | -9.8 Percentage points | 2025 | up 12.5% | rising |
| 22 | Germany | -9.9 Percentage points | 2025 | up 11.6% | rising |
| 23 | Israel | -10.2 Percentage points | 2014 | up 4.7% | rising |
| 23 | Ireland | -10.2 Percentage points | 2025 | up 28.2% | rising |
| 23 | Latvia | -10.2 Percentage points | 2025 | up 23.3% | rising |
| 26 | United States | -10.8 Percentage points | 2023 | up 13.6% | rising |
| 27 | Czechia | -10.9 Percentage points | 2025 | up 34.7% | rising |
| 28 | Iceland | -11.2 Percentage points | 2024 | down 62.3% | rising |
| 29 | Bulgaria | -12.2 Percentage points | 2025 | down 7.0% | falling |
| 30 | Hungary | -12.7 Percentage points | 2025 | up 19.1% | rising |
| 31 | Poland | -13.5 Percentage points | 2025 | up 16.7% | falling |
| 32 | Greece | -13.8 Percentage points | 2025 | up 8.6% | rising |
| 33 | Serbia | -13.9 Percentage points | 2025 | up 17.3% | rising |
| 34 | Russia | -15.1 Percentage points | 2014 | down 18.0% | rising |
| 34 | Malta | -15.1 Percentage points | 2025 | up 37.9% | rising |
| 36 | Japan | -15.9 Percentage points | 2024 | up 25.0% | rising |
| 37 | Italy | -16.7 Percentage points | 2025 | up 12.6% | rising |
| 38 | Romania | -18.6 Percentage points | 2025 | up 3.6% | falling |
| 38 | North Macedonia | -18.6 Percentage points | 2025 | up 22.2% | rising |
| 40 | Brazil | -21.7 Percentage points | 2013 | up 4.8% | flat |
| 41 | Colombia | -23.7 Percentage points | 2014 | up 16.5% | rising |
| 42 | Chile | -24.1 Percentage points | 2014 | — | rising |
| 43 | Mexico | -33.5 Percentage points | 2014 | up 10.7% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Slovak Republic -11.4 Percentage points
- Korea -17.7 Percentage points
About this data
<p>This dataset provides indicators on participation rate, employment to population ratio and unemployment rate, in large regions (TL2) and, where available, in small regions (TL3).</p> <p><strong>Data definition and source</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The labour force status is presented by sex, for 15-64 year-olds and 15+ year-olds age ranges, the latter having less country coverage. Data is based on a labour force survey using ILO guidelines and collected from Eurostat (reg_lmk) for EU countries and via delegates of the OECD Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI), as well as from national statistical offices' websites.</p> <p><strong>Definition of regions</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). For more information, see the OECD Territorial grid <a href="https://webfs-cfe.oecd.org/files/.Stat/region/OECD_territorial-grid_TL2024.pdf">(pdf)</a> and the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table <a href="https://webfs-cfe.oecd.org/files/.Stat/region/OECD%20Territorial%20correspondence%20-%20TL2024c.xlsx">(xlsx)</a>. </p> <p><strong>Cite this dataset</strong></p> <p>OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database <a href="http://oe.cd/geostats">http://oe.cd/geostats</a>.</p> <p><strong>Further information</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://regions-cities-atlas.oecd.org/">OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas</a> </li> <li><a href="https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-regions-and-cities-at-a-glance-2024_f42db3bf-en.html">OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance</a></li> </ul> <p>For questions and/or comments, please email <a href="mailto:RegionStat@oecd.org">RegionStat@oecd.org</a>.</p>