Proportion of labor force who are women in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Proportion of labor force who are women was 6.78 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Proportion of labor force who are women in Afghanistan, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, proportion of labor force who are women in Afghanistan stood at 6.78. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 66.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of labor force who are women in Afghanistan peaked at 22.46 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 6.78, in 2025.
That places Afghanistan 186th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Proportion of labor force who are women in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17.03 | — |
| 1991 | 17.01 | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 16.96 | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 16.86 | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 16.71 | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 16.55 | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 16.37 | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 16.16 | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 15.96 | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 15.77 | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 15.61 | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 15.5 | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 15.44 | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 15.43 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 15.46 | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 15.54 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 15.67 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 15.88 | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 16.14 | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 16.43 | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 16.74 | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 17.04 | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 17.33 | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 18.28 | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 19.27 | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 20.29 | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 21.35 | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 22.46 | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 21.75 | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 20.9 | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 19.84 | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 17.99 | -9.3% |
| 2022 | 6.86 | -61.9% |
| 2023 | 6.85 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 6.82 | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 6.78 | -0.6% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 6.78 is below the median for low income countries, which is 47.68, 14% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 6.78 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 21.28, 32% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Proportion of labor force who are women in Afghanistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -61.9% | 17.99 | 6.86 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.54 | 15.77 | 17.03 | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.71 | 15.43 | 16.43 | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.54 | 16.74 | 22.46 | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.86 | 6.78 | 19.84 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More work & labour data for Afghanistan
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.4637 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4511 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4755 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.088 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 25,498 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 36,430 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 65,039 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 65,177 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 130,217 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of labor force who are women in Afghanistan?
- Proportion of labor force who are women in Afghanistan was 6.78 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest proportion of labor force who are women recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 22.46 in 2017.
- What is the lowest proportion of labor force who are women recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.78 in 2025.
- How does Afghanistan rank for proportion of labor force who are women?
- Afghanistan ranks 186th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of labor force who are women rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Proportion of labor force who are women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).