Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in United States of America
United States of America: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates was 84.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in United States of America, 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 United States of America stood at 84.0%. 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 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in United States of America peaked at 84.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 74.5%, in 1990.
That places United States of America 66th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 74.5% | — |
| 1991 | 74.9% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 75.4% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 75.9% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 77.5% | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 77.8% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 78.1% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 78.8% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 79.0% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 79.3% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 79.5% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 79.7% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 79.9% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 80.4% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 80.2% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 80.4% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 80.4% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 80.6% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 81.2% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 82.0% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 82.1% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 81.9% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 81.7% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 81.5% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 81.7% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 81.5% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 81.5% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 82.1% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 82.2% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 82.6% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 82.6% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 82.9% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 83.8% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 84.0% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 84.0% | +0.1% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 84.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 83.3%, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 77.1% | 74.5% | 79.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.4% | 79.5% | 82.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.9% | 81.5% | 82.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.3% | 82.6% | 84.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More work & labour data for United States of America
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 113,208 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.4 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.05 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 159,991 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 141,322 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 58.55 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.27 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in United States of America?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rates in United States of America was 84.0% 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 United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 84.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rates recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.5% in 1990.
- How does United States of America rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rates?
- United States of America ranks 66th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rates rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America 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
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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).