Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Netherlands
Netherlands: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates was 87.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Netherlands, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Netherlands stood at 87.2%. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Netherlands peaked at 87.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 70.7%, in 1990.
That places Netherlands 43rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 70.7% | — |
| 1991 | 71.3% | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 72.1% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 72.5% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 72.7% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 72.7% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 73.2% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 73.9% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 74.6% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 75.5% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 76.5% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 77.6% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 78.5% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 79.1% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 79.2% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 79.1% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 79.8% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 80.3% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 81.0% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 81.5% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 82.6% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 83.5% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 84.0% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 84.0% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 83.4% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 83.9% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 84.6% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 85.1% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 85.2% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 85.7% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 86.5% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 86.8% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 86.9% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 87.0% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 87.2% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 87.2% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 72.9% | 70.7% | 75.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.3% | 76.5% | 81.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 84.2% | 82.6% | 85.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.9% | 86.5% | 87.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 40 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 87.4% compare
- 41 Estonia 87.3% compare
- 42 Canada 87.3% compare
- 44 Switzerland 87.2% compare
- 45 Lao People's Democratic Republic 87.2% compare
- 46 Namibia 87.1% compare
More work & labour data for Netherlands
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 5,256 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.71 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 10,535 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.03 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.834 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 130,584 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 94,797 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.03 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.4 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.1112 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Netherlands?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Netherlands was 87.2% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 87.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rates recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.7% in 1990.
- How does Netherlands rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rates?
- Netherlands ranks 43rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.
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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).