Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Canada
Canada: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) was 87.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Canada, 1961–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Canada recorded 87.8% for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in 2025.
The figure is up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Canada peaked at 88.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 38.0%, in 1961.
That places Canada 46th out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 38.0% | — |
| 1971 | 52.3% | +37.4% |
| 1976 | 58.8% | +12.6% |
| 1977 | 60.0% | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 61.5% | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 63.0% | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 64.6% | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 66.3% | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 67.7% | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 68.9% | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 70.1% | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 71.6% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 72.5% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 73.5% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 74.9% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 75.7% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 76.9% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 77.9% | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 78.3% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 78.7% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 78.7% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 79.3% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 79.6% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 80.0% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 80.9% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 81.4% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 82.1% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 82.7% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 83.4% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 84.3% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 84.7% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 84.7% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 85.2% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 85.7% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 85.7% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 86.4% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 86.8% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 86.4% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 86.7% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 86.9% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 86.6% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 86.3% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 86.7% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 86.8% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 87.2% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 87.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 86.6% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 87.3% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 88.3% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 88.2% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 87.9% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 87.8% | -0.0% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 87.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 85.1%, 1.0× the median. (79 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Canada 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | +37.4% | 38.0% | 52.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 38.0% | 38.0% | 38.0% | 1 |
| 1970s | 59.1% | 52.3% | 63.0% | 5 |
| 1980s | 70.6% | 64.6% | 75.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 79.2% | 76.9% | 81.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 84.5% | 82.1% | 86.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.8% | 86.3% | 87.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.7% | 86.6% | 88.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 43 Netherlands 88.2% compare
- 44 Saint Kitts and Nevis 88.2% compare
- 45 France 87.8% compare
- 47 Portugal 87.7% compare
- 48 Switzerland 87.2% compare
- 49 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 87.2% compare
More work & labour data for Canada
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.3334 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.3231 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6552 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,234 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,715 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 26,798 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 26,814 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 53,612 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Canada?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Canada was 87.8% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 88.3% in 2022.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.0% in 1961.
- How does Canada rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%)?
- Canada ranks 46th out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate is the proportion of female labor force participation relative to male labor force participation. The labor force participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the population ages 15 and older. The labor force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed.