Proportion of labor force who are women in Iran
Iran: Proportion of labor force who are women was 16.89 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
16.89
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
182nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
19.87
in 2005
All-time low
9.85
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Proportion of labor force who are women in Iran, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, proportion of labor force who are women in Iran stood at 16.89.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of labor force who are women in Iran peaked at 19.87 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 9.85, in 1990.
Iran ranks 182nd of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Proportion of labor force who are women in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 9.85 | — |
| 1991 | 10.14 | +3.0% |
| 1992 | 10.4 | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 10.67 | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 10.98 | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 11.36 | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 11.77 | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 12.58 | +6.9% |
| 1998 | 13.45 | +6.8% |
| 1999 | 14.34 | +6.6% |
| 2000 | 15.26 | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 16.2 | +6.2% |
| 2002 | 17.15 | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 18.07 | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 18.97 | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 19.87 | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 19.48 | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 18.7 | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 17.09 | -8.6% |
| 2009 | 17.87 | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 17.56 | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 16.44 | -6.4% |
| 2012 | 17.52 | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 15.94 | -9.0% |
| 2014 | 15.63 | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 16.84 | +7.8% |
| 2016 | 18.43 | +9.5% |
| 2017 | 19.31 | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 19.23 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 18.8 | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 16.35 | -13.1% |
| 2021 | 15.71 | -3.9% |
| 2022 | 16.37 | +4.2% |
| 2023 | 16.79 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 16.91 | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 16.89 | -0.2% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 16.89 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 42.44, 40% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iran's 16.89 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 21.28, 79% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.55 | 9.85 | 14.34 | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.87 | 15.26 | 19.87 | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.57 | 15.63 | 19.31 | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.5 | 15.71 | 16.91 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More work & labour data for Iran
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 44,188 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 40.34 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 29,874 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 8.53 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2.43 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 57,320 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 20,416 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 36.89 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.89 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.574 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of labor force who are women in Iran?
- Proportion of labor force who are women in Iran was 16.89 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest proportion of labor force who are women recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 19.87 in 2005.
- What is the lowest proportion of labor force who are women recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.85 in 1990.
- How does Iran rank for proportion of labor force who are women?
- Iran ranks 182nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of labor force who are women rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran 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
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