Urban population vs. female labor force participation rate in Zambia

Zambia: Urban population vs. female labor force participation rate was 45.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
45.9%
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
172nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
45.9%
in 2025
All-time low
11.5%
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025

Urban population vs. female labor force participation rate in Zambia, 1950–2025

1020304050195019872025

Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2025, urban population vs. female labor force participation rate in Zambia stood at 45.9%. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.

The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban population vs. female labor force participation rate in Zambia peaked at 45.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 11.5%, in 1950.

That places Zambia 172nd out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 13.4% 11.5% 16.3% 10
1960s 22.7% 17.2% 29.4% 10
1970s 35.8% 30.7% 39.7% 10
1980s 39.7% 39.5% 39.9% 10
1990s 38.2% 36.2% 39.4% 10
2000s 37.3% 35.9% 39.5% 10
2010s 41.7% 40.0% 43.5% 10
2020s 44.9% 43.9% 45.9% 6

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 169 Turkmenistan 47.1% compare
  2. 170 Guinea-Bissau 46.7% compare
  3. 171 Sierra Leone 45.9% compare
  4. 173 Seychelles 45.5% compare
  5. 174 Democratic Republic of Congo 45.1% compare
  6. 175 Lesotho 44.7% compare

See the full ranking of 237 places →

More work & labour data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is urban population vs. female labor force participation rate in Zambia?
Urban population vs. female labor force participation rate in Zambia was 45.9% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest urban population vs. female labor force participation rate recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 45.9% in 2025.
What is the lowest urban population vs. female labor force participation rate recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 11.5% in 1950.
How does Zambia rank for urban population vs. female labor force participation rate?
Zambia ranks 172nd out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
Is urban population vs. female labor force participation rate rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Zambia data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Urban population vs. female labor force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Urban population vs. female labor force participation rate
Unit
%
Source
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
237 places, 18,012 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.