Female share of the labor force in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Female share of the labor force was 6.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Female share of the labor force in Afghanistan, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, female share of the labor force in Afghanistan stood at 6.8%. 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, female share of the labor force in Afghanistan peaked at 22.5% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, 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.
Female share of the labor force in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17.0% | — |
| 1991 | 17.0% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 17.0% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 16.9% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 16.7% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 16.6% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 16.4% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 16.2% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 16.0% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 15.8% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 15.6% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 15.5% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 15.4% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 15.4% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 15.5% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 15.5% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 15.7% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 15.9% | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 16.1% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 16.4% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 16.7% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 17.0% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 17.3% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 18.3% | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 19.3% | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 20.3% | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 21.4% | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 22.5% | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 21.8% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 20.9% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 19.8% | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 18.0% | -9.3% |
| 2022 | 6.9% | -61.9% |
| 2023 | 6.8% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 6.8% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 6.8% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.5% | 15.8% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.7% | 15.4% | 16.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.5% | 16.7% | 22.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.9% | 6.8% | 19.8% | 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 female share of the labor force in Afghanistan?
- Female share of the labor force in Afghanistan was 6.8% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female share of the labor force recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 22.5% in 2017.
- What is the lowest female share of the labor force recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 2025.
- How does Afghanistan rank for female share of the labor force?
- Afghanistan ranks 186th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female share of the labor force 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 International Labour Organization and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Female share of the labor force. 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).
About this data
Share of the working-age population economically active (employed or unemployed) who are female.