Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Iran, Islamic Republic of

Iran, Islamic Republic of: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) was 20.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
20.9%
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
193rd
of 196 countries
All-time high
26.1%
in 2005
All-time low
11.1%
in 1986
Years of data
26
1966–2024

Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1966–2024

01020301966199520241966: 141972: 11.61976: 16.11986: 11.11991: 12.41996: 14.22005: 26.12006: 25.62007: 24.42008: 21.92009: 232010: 22.52011: 20.82012: 22.42013: 19.82014: 19.32015: 212016: 23.52017: 24.92018: 24.82019: 24.12020: 20.42021: 19.52022: 20.12023: 212024: 20.9

Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).

Analysis

In 2024, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Iran, Islamic Republic of stood at 20.9%.

That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 8.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 26.1% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 11.1%, in 1986.

That places Iran, Islamic Republic of 193rd out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year

Annual values for Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1966 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1966 14.0%
1972 11.6% -17.5%
1976 16.1% +39.2%
1986 11.1% -31.5%
1991 12.4% +12.3%
1996 14.2% +14.7%
2005 26.1% +83.6%
2006 25.6% -1.9%
2007 24.4% -4.7%
2008 21.9% -10.3%
2009 23.0% +4.9%
2010 22.5% -2.1%
2011 20.8% -7.5%
2012 22.4% +7.5%
2013 19.8% -11.7%
2014 19.3% -2.5%
2015 21.0% +9.1%
2016 23.5% +11.8%
2017 24.9% +5.9%
2018 24.8% -0.3%
2019 24.1% -2.8%
2020 20.4% -15.5%
2021 19.5% -4.4%
2022 20.1% +3.1%
2023 21.0% +4.4%
2024 20.9% -0.2%

Iran, Islamic Republic of compared with similar countries

  • Iran, Islamic Republic of's 20.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 70.1%, 30% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
  • Iran, Islamic Republic of's 20.9% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.6%, 60% of the median. (21 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Iran, Islamic Republic of 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.

YearChange FromTo
2005 +83.6% 14.2% 26.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 14.0% 14.0% 14.0% 1
1970s 13.9% 11.6% 16.1% 2
1980s 11.1% 11.1% 11.1% 1
1990s 13.3% 12.4% 14.2% 2
2000s 24.2% 21.9% 26.1% 5
2010s 22.3% 19.3% 24.9% 10
2020s 20.4% 19.5% 21.0% 5

Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of

  1. 190 Algeria 25.6% compare
  2. 191 Palestine, State of 25.3% compare
  3. 192 Sudan 23.3% compare
  4. 194 Syrian Arab Republic 20.8% compare
  5. 195 Iraq 15.8% compare
  6. 196 Yemen 9.2% compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More work & labour data for Iran, Islamic Republic of

All data for Iran, Islamic Republic of →

Frequently asked questions

What is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 20.9% in 2024, 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 Iran, Islamic Republic of?
The highest recorded value was 26.1% in 2005.
What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
The lowest recorded value was 11.1% in 1986.
How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%)?
Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 193rd out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of 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

CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Iran, Islamic Republic of. Statizoid, drawing on Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/ratio-of-female-to-male-labor-force-participation-rate-percent-national-estimate/iran-islamic-rep/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/ratio-of-female-to-male-labor-force-participation-rate-percent-national-estimate/iran-islamic-rep/">Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Iran, Islamic Republic of</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate)
Source
Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
220 places, 5,351 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

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.