Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Norway
Norway: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates was 89.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Norway, 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 Norway stood at 89.9%.
That represents a change of down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Norway peaked at 91.2% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 74.7%, in 1990.
That places Norway 23rd 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 Norway, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 74.7% | — |
| 1991 | 75.2% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 75.6% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 76.3% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 77.5% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 78.0% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 79.6% | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 80.8% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 82.0% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 83.6% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 84.5% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 84.9% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 85.9% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 86.4% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 87.2% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 87.2% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 88.3% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 89.0% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 89.2% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 89.6% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 89.9% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 90.4% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 90.0% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 90.5% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 90.3% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 90.4% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 90.7% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 91.2% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 90.5% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 90.5% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 90.8% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 89.9% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 89.7% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 89.8% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 89.8% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 89.9% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 78.3% | 74.7% | 83.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 87.2% | 84.5% | 89.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 90.5% | 89.9% | 91.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.0% | 89.7% | 90.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More work & labour data for Norway
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.2322 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.2413 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.2229 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.14 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.7506 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6,138 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 663.52 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,690 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,724 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,414 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Norway?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in Norway was 89.9% 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 91.2% in 2017.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rates recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.7% in 1990.
- How does Norway rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rates?
- Norway ranks 23rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Norway 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).