Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Egypt
Egypt: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates was 26.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Egypt, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Egypt is 26.2%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 18.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Egypt peaked at 32.9% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 21.3%, in 2020.
That places Egypt 178th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Egypt, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 31.1% | — |
| 1991 | 31.1% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 32.2% | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 30.4% | -5.7% |
| 1994 | 31.0% | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 29.4% | -5.1% |
| 1996 | 28.7% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 28.0% | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 27.3% | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 27.6% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 28.5% | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 29.4% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 26.8% | -8.8% |
| 2003 | 27.4% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 28.1% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 28.7% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 29.4% | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 32.3% | +9.9% |
| 2008 | 30.0% | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 31.5% | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 30.8% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 30.1% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 30.3% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 31.2% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 31.8% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 32.1% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 32.9% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 32.8% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 27.1% | -17.5% |
| 2019 | 23.2% | -14.3% |
| 2020 | 21.3% | -8.0% |
| 2021 | 22.2% | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 21.7% | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 26.1% | +20.6% |
| 2024 | 26.2% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 26.2% | -0.0% |
Egypt compared with similar countries
- Egypt's 26.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 77.8%, 34% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Egypt's 26.2% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 33.3%, 79% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 29.7% | 27.3% | 32.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.2% | 26.8% | 32.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.2% | 23.2% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.9% | 21.3% | 26.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
More work & labour data for Egypt
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0535 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0709 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0359 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3894 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.13 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 85,321 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 68,113 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 100,315 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 101,580 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 201,895 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Egypt?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Egypt was 26.2% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest ratio of female to male labor force participation rates recorded in Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 32.9% in 2016.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rates recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.3% in 2020.
- How does Egypt rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rates?
- Egypt ranks 178th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Egypt data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This ratio is calculated by dividing the labor force participation rate among women by the corresponding rate for men. The labor force participation rate is the share of the working-age population (ages 15 and over) who are economically active (employed or unemployed).