Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) was 84.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Hong Kong, 1961–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Hong Kong recorded 84.5% for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Hong Kong peaked at 84.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 40.8%, in 1961.
That places Hong Kong 71st out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Hong Kong, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 40.8% | — |
| 1966 | 47.7% | +16.9% |
| 1971 | 50.6% | +6.1% |
| 1975 | 57.0% | +12.7% |
| 1976 | 55.1% | -3.3% |
| 1979 | 55.0% | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 56.5% | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 58.9% | +4.2% |
| 1982 | 57.7% | -2.2% |
| 1983 | 59.5% | +3.1% |
| 1984 | 60.6% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 60.3% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 60.7% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 60.6% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 60.3% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 59.3% | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 59.0% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 60.6% | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 59.3% | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 59.5% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 60.8% | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 62.1% | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 62.9% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 63.3% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 64.3% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 66.5% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 67.1% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 69.5% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 71.6% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 71.7% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 72.3% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 73.1% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 74.2% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 75.3% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 76.2% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 76.7% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 75.8% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 77.4% | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 77.9% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 78.7% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 79.3% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 79.5% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 79.9% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 80.7% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 80.5% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 81.5% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 81.9% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 82.4% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 81.8% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 82.2% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 83.4% | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 84.5% | +1.4% |
Hong Kong compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong's 84.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 85.1%, 99% of the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong's 84.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 78.7%, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 44.2% | 40.8% | 47.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 54.4% | 50.6% | 57.0% | 4 |
| 1980s | 59.4% | 56.5% | 60.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 61.8% | 59.0% | 66.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.8% | 67.1% | 76.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.1% | 75.8% | 81.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.7% | 81.8% | 84.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong
- 68 Cyprus 85.1% compare
- 69 Singapore 84.9% compare
- 70 Kazakhstan 84.9% compare
- 72 Aruba 84.5% compare
- 73 United States 84.5% compare
- 74 Madagascar 84.5% compare
More work & labour data for Hong Kong
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 2,981 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 55.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,663 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.78 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.06 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 149,185 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,833 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 53.6 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.56 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -1.12 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Hong Kong?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Hong Kong was 84.5% 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 Hong Kong?
- The highest recorded value was 84.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in Hong Kong?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.8% in 1961.
- How does Hong Kong rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%)?
- Hong Kong ranks 71st out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) rising or falling in Hong Kong?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hong Kong 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.
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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.