Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Italy
Italy: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) was 70.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Italy, 1961–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Italy stood at 70.9%. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Italy peaked at 70.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 30.5%, in 1961.
That places Italy 131st 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 51 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 30.5% | — |
| 1971 | 35.0% | +14.7% |
| 1977 | 44.0% | +25.7% |
| 1978 | 44.2% | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 45.6% | +3.1% |
| 1980 | 46.8% | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 48.1% | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 47.8% | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 47.6% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 47.8% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 48.3% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 50.1% | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 50.7% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 51.9% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 53.3% | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 53.2% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 54.0% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 52.6% | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 52.3% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 53.1% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 53.9% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 54.7% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 55.2% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 55.9% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 57.3% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 57.9% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 59.0% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 59.6% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 60.1% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 62.1% | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 62.3% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 62.8% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 62.8% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 64.0% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 64.2% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 64.6% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 65.4% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 67.0% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 67.7% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 68.3% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 67.5% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 68.3% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 69.0% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 69.3% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 69.8% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 69.0% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 69.6% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 70.1% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 70.6% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 70.6% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 70.9% | +0.3% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 70.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 85.1%, 83% of the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Italy's 70.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 85.0%, 83% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Italy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | +25.7% | 35.0% | 44.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30.5% | 30.5% | 30.5% | 1 |
| 1970s | 42.2% | 35.0% | 45.6% | 4 |
| 1980s | 49.3% | 46.8% | 53.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 54.2% | 52.3% | 57.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.5% | 57.9% | 64.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.7% | 64.6% | 69.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.1% | 69.0% | 70.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Italy
- 128 Ethiopia 72.7% compare
- 129 American Samoa 72.0% compare
- 130 Dominican Republic 71.1% compare
- 132 Panama 70.4% compare
- 133 Philippines 70.2% compare
- 134 Mauritius 70.1% compare
More work & labour data for Italy
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.6708 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6794 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.662 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.03 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.0094 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 44,671 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 10,422 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 17,512 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 17,865 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 35,377 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Italy?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Italy was 70.9% 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 70.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.5% in 1961.
- How does Italy rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%)?
- Italy ranks 131st out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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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CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.