Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Portugal
Portugal: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) was 87.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Portugal, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Portugal is 87.7%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Portugal peaked at 87.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 18.7%, in 1960.
Portugal ranks 47th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Portugal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 18.7% | — |
| 1970 | 28.3% | +51.8% |
| 1978 | 55.6% | +96.4% |
| 1979 | 58.3% | +4.8% |
| 1980 | 58.1% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 59.7% | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 59.5% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 63.8% | +7.2% |
| 1985 | 63.7% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 62.0% | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 64.0% | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 64.8% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 65.2% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 66.3% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 68.7% | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 69.8% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 71.4% | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 72.4% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 72.9% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 73.5% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 73.6% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 73.9% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 74.8% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 75.6% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 76.1% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 76.4% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 78.3% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 78.1% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 80.0% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 80.2% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 80.9% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 81.0% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 82.2% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 83.1% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 81.5% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 82.4% | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 83.2% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 83.4% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 83.8% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 83.5% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 83.8% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 84.6% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 85.1% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 84.9% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 86.4% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 86.5% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 87.3% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 87.6% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 87.7% | +0.2% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 87.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 85.1%, 1.0× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 87.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 85.0%, 1.0× the median. (54 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Portugal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | +96.4% | 28.3% | 55.6% |
| 1970 | +51.8% | 18.7% | 28.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.7% | 18.7% | 18.7% | 1 |
| 1970s | 47.4% | 28.3% | 58.3% | 3 |
| 1980s | 62.3% | 58.1% | 65.2% | 9 |
| 1990s | 71.7% | 66.3% | 74.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.9% | 75.6% | 82.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.4% | 81.5% | 85.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.7% | 84.9% | 87.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 44 Saint Kitts and Nevis 88.2% compare
- 45 France 87.8% compare
- 46 Canada 87.8% compare
- 48 Switzerland 87.2% compare
- 49 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 87.2% compare
- 50 Liberia 86.9% compare
More work & labour data for Portugal
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0538 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.055 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0528 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1795 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 7,134 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,861 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 4,504 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 4,250 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 8,754 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Portugal?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in Portugal was 87.7% 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 Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 87.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.7% in 1960.
- How does Portugal rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%)?
- Portugal ranks 47th out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Portugal 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 — 49 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.