Female Labor Force Participation Rate 2012

Female labor force participation rate measures the active engagement of women in the workforce, indicating economic inclusivity.

186 data pointsโ€ขโ€ขGlobal Coverageโ€ขLabor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) | Dataโ€ข

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Complete Data Rankings

Rank
Actions
1
North Korea flag
North Korea
85.981 %
2
Madagascar flag
Madagascar
85.136 %
3
Solomon Islands flag
Solomon Islands
84.223 %
4
Tanzania flag
Tanzania
83.545 %
5
Iceland flag
Iceland
82.531 %
6
Cambodia flag
Cambodia
81.375 %
7
Mozambique flag
Mozambique
81.371 %
8
Burundi flag
Burundi
81.056 %
9
Bahamas flag
Bahamas
77.931 %
10
Sweden flag
Sweden
77.906 %
11
Nigeria flag
Nigeria
77.45 %
12
Norway flag
Norway
77.427 %
13
Vietnam flag
Vietnam
77.081 %
14
Netherlands flag
Netherlands
77.003 %
15
Switzerland flag
Switzerland
76.699 %
16
Eritrea flag
Eritrea
76.6 %
17
Ethiopia flag
Ethiopia
76.472 %
18
Burkina Faso flag
Burkina Faso
76.201 %
19
Angola flag
Angola
75.701 %
20
Peru flag
Peru
74.649 %
21
Canada flag
Canada
74.473 %
22
Denmark flag
Denmark
74.325 %
23
Barbados flag
Barbados
73.87 %
24
South Sudan flag
South Sudan
73.693 %
25
Kazakhstan flag
Kazakhstan
73.355 %
26
Liberia flag
Liberia
73.299 %
27
Finland flag
Finland
73.219 %
28
Belarus flag
Belarus
72.678 %
29
New Zealand flag
New Zealand
72.362 %
30
Latvia flag
Latvia
71.936 %
31
Germany flag
Germany
71.793 %
32
Kenya flag
Kenya
71.639 %
33
Estonia flag
Estonia
71.521 %
34
Benin flag
Benin
71.435 %
35
Thailand flag
Thailand
71.432 %
36
Saint Lucia flag
Saint Lucia
71.104 %
37
China, Macao SAR flag
China, Macao SAR
71.038 %
38
Australia flag
Australia
70.393 %
39
Austria flag
Austria
70.146 %
40
Lithuania flag
Lithuania
70.09 %
41
United Kingdom flag
United Kingdom
69.997 %
42
China flag
China
69.922 %
43
Portugal flag
Portugal
69.684 %
44
Cameroon flag
Cameroon
69.534 %
45
Ghana flag
Ghana
68.931 %
46
Uruguay flag
Uruguay
68.904 %
47
Israel flag
Israel
68.366 %
48
Russia flag
Russia
68.286 %
49
Spain flag
Spain
68.236 %
50
Niger flag
Niger
67.91 %
51
Malawi flag
Malawi
67.858 %
52
Congo flag
Congo
67.856 %
53
United States Virgin Islands flag
United States Virgin Islands
67.143 %
54
Republic of Moldova flag
Republic of Moldova
67 %
55
Slovenia flag
Slovenia
66.984 %
56
Uganda flag
Uganda
66.675 %
57
Cyprus flag
Cyprus
66.639 %
58
France flag
France
66.533 %
59
United States flag
United States
66.349 %
60
Central African Republic flag
Central African Republic
66.31 %
61
New Caledonia flag
New Caledonia
66.256 %
62
Bhutan flag
Bhutan
65.766 %
63
Georgia flag
Georgia
65.126 %
64
Ireland flag
Ireland
64.522 %
65
Azerbaijan flag
Azerbaijan
64.32 %
66
Cรดte d'Ivoire flag
Cรดte d'Ivoire
63.809 %
67
Singapore flag
Singapore
63.79 %
68
Japan flag
Japan
63.689 %
69
Czech Republic flag
Czech Republic
63.5 %
70
Ukraine flag
Ukraine
63.499 %
71
Bulgaria flag
Bulgaria
63.454 %
72
Congo, Democratic Republic of the flag
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
63.31 %
73
Haiti flag
Haiti
62.726 %
74
Luxembourg flag
Luxembourg
62.714 %
75
Paraguay flag
Paraguay
62.568 %
76
Armenia flag
Armenia
62.31 %
77
Mali flag
Mali
62.063 %
78
China, Hong Kong SAR flag
China, Hong Kong SAR
61.924 %
79
Timor-Leste flag
Timor-Leste
61.791 %
80
Slovakia flag
Slovakia
61.768 %
81
Hungary flag
Hungary
61.737 %
82
Zimbabwe flag
Zimbabwe
61.585 %
83
Guam flag
Guam
61.55 %
84
Belgium flag
Belgium
61.337 %
85
Poland flag
Poland
60.704 %
86
Sierra Leone flag
Sierra Leone
60.201 %
87
Brunei Darussalam flag
Brunei Darussalam
60.194 %
88
Colombia flag
Colombia
60.098 %
89
Lesotho flag
Lesotho
59.999 %
90
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines flag
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
59.83 %
91
Laos flag
Laos
59.549 %
92
Bolivia flag
Bolivia
58.918 %
93
Trinidad and Tobago flag
Trinidad and Tobago
58.035 %
94
Croatia flag
Croatia
58.016 %
95
Brazil flag
Brazil
58.015 %
96
Greece flag
Greece
57.731 %
97
Vanuatu flag
Vanuatu
57.669 %
98
Botswana flag
Botswana
56.96 %
99
Jamaica flag
Jamaica
56.855 %
100
Mongolia flag
Mongolia
56.753 %
101
Togo flag
Togo
56.545 %
102
Rwanda flag
Rwanda
56.183 %
103
Costa Rica flag
Costa Rica
56.169 %
104
Albania flag
Albania
55.949 %
105
Argentina flag
Argentina
55.903 %
106
Chile flag
Chile
55.602 %
107
Guinea-Bissau flag
Guinea-Bissau
55.501 %
108
Cabo Verde flag
Cabo Verde
55.34 %
109
South Korea flag
South Korea
55.307 %
110
Myanmar flag
Myanmar
55.152 %
111
Namibia flag
Namibia
54.753 %
112
Equatorial Guinea flag
Equatorial Guinea
54.651 %
113
Indonesia flag
Indonesia
54.067 %
114
Qatar flag
Qatar
53.839 %
115
French Polynesia flag
French Polynesia
53.658 %
116
Kyrgyzstan flag
Kyrgyzstan
53.425 %
117
Italy flag
Italy
53.373 %
118
Serbia flag
Serbia
53.234 %
119
Venezuela flag
Venezuela
53.202 %
120
Panama flag
Panama
52.844 %
121
Guinea flag
Guinea
52.693 %
122
Chad flag
Chad
52.689 %
123
Montenegro flag
Montenegro
52.308 %
124
Zambia flag
Zambia
51.494 %
125
Cuba flag
Cuba
51.185 %
126
Ecuador flag
Ecuador
50.704 %
127
North Macedonia flag
North Macedonia
50.544 %
128
Kuwait flag
Kuwait
50.276 %
129
Malaysia flag
Malaysia
49.97 %
130
Philippines flag
Philippines
49.854 %
131
El Salvador flag
El Salvador
49.759 %
132
South Africa flag
South Africa
49.465 %
133
Papua New Guinea flag
Papua New Guinea
49.412 %
134
Malta flag
Malta
48.904 %
135
Bosnia and Herzegovina flag
Bosnia and Herzegovina
48.542 %
136
Nicaragua flag
Nicaragua
48.521 %
137
Romania flag
Romania
48.507 %
138
Eswatini flag
Eswatini
48.211 %
139
Dominican Republic flag
Dominican Republic
48.119 %
140
Belize flag
Belize
47.939 %
141
Mauritius flag
Mauritius
47.847 %
142
Mexico flag
Mexico
47.454 %
143
Guatemala flag
Guatemala
47.128 %
144
Suriname flag
Suriname
46.246 %
145
Fiji flag
Fiji
46.189 %
146
Tonga flag
Tonga
45.997 %
147
United Arab Emirates flag
United Arab Emirates
45.944 %
148
Gambia flag
Gambia
45.809 %
149
Samoa flag
Samoa
44.501 %
150
Bahrain flag
Bahrain
44.389 %
151
Turkmenistan flag
Turkmenistan
43.086 %
152
Guyana flag
Guyana
43.052 %
153
Gabon flag
Gabon
42.341 %
154
Uzbekistan flag
Uzbekistan
42.296 %
155
Puerto Rico flag
Puerto Rico
40.632 %
156
Honduras flag
Honduras
39.436 %
157
Maldives flag
Maldives
38.689 %
158
Libya flag
Libya
36.296 %
159
Bangladesh flag
Bangladesh
35.966 %
160
Sri Lanka flag
Sri Lanka
35.706 %
161
Senegal flag
Senegal
35.127 %
162
Comoros flag
Comoros
33.881 %
163
Turkey flag
Turkey
32.215 %
164
Oman flag
Oman
28.943 %
165
Mauritania flag
Mauritania
28.297 %
166
India flag
India
28.177 %
167
Tunisia flag
Tunisia
28.049 %
168
Tajikistan flag
Tajikistan
27.775 %
169
Sudan flag
Sudan
27.714 %
170
Nepal flag
Nepal
27.35 %
171
Lebanon flag
Lebanon
26.368 %
172
Morocco flag
Morocco
25.728 %
173
Egypt flag
Egypt
24.007 %
174
Pakistan flag
Pakistan
23.468 %
175
Sao Tome and Principe flag
Sao Tome and Principe
22.56 %
176
Somalia flag
Somalia
21.578 %
177
Saudi Arabia flag
Saudi Arabia
20.567 %
178
Djibouti flag
Djibouti
18.043 %
179
State of Palestine flag
State of Palestine
16.877 %
180
Afghanistan flag
Afghanistan
16.732 %
181
Algeria flag
Algeria
15.939 %
182
Iran flag
Iran
15.907 %
183
Jordan flag
Jordan
14.713 %
184
Syrian Arab Republic flag
Syrian Arab Republic
14.237 %
185
Iraq flag
Iraq
12.493 %
186
Yemen flag
Yemen
8.093 %

โ†‘Top 10 Countries

  1. #1North Korea flagNorth Korea
  2. #2Madagascar flagMadagascar
  3. #3Solomon Islands flagSolomon Islands
  4. #4Tanzania flagTanzania
  5. #5Iceland flagIceland
  6. #6Cambodia flagCambodia
  7. #7Mozambique flagMozambique
  8. #8Burundi flagBurundi
  9. #9Bahamas flagBahamas
  10. #10Sweden flagSweden

Analysis: These countries represent the highest values in this dataset, showcasing significant scale and impact on global statistics.

โ†“Bottom 10 Countries

  1. #186Yemen flagYemen
  2. #185Iraq flagIraq
  3. #184Syrian Arab Republic flagSyrian Arab Republic
  4. #183Jordan flagJordan
  5. #182Iran flagIran
  6. #181Algeria flagAlgeria
  7. #180Afghanistan flagAfghanistan
  8. #179State of Palestine flagState of Palestine
  9. #178Djibouti flagDjibouti
  10. #177Saudi Arabia flagSaudi Arabia

Context: These countries or territories have the lowest values, often due to geographic size, administrative status, or specific characteristics.

Analysis & Context

In 2012, the country leading the world in Female Labor Force Participation Rate was North Korea with a remarkable rate of 85.98%, while the global range spanned from a low of 8.09% in Yemen to this high. The global average for this critical economic indicator stood at 55.87%, providing a benchmark for assessing economic inclusivity worldwide.

Economic Structures and High Participation Rates

Countries with the highest female labor force participation rates often share common economic structures that encourage women's involvement in the workforce. In North Korea, the state-driven economy mandates female participation as part of its labor policy, resulting in the world's highest participation rate of 85.98%. Similarly, in Madagascar and Solomon Islands, where participation rates are 85.14% and 84.22% respectively, the agricultural sector plays a significant role. The necessity for family labor in agriculture drives high female involvement. Furthermore, countries like Iceland and Sweden, with rates of 82.53% and 77.91% respectively, benefit from progressive gender policies and strong social welfare systems that support female workforce engagement.

Barriers in Low Participation Countries

At the other end of the spectrum, countries with the lowest participation rates often face significant socio-cultural and political barriers. Yemen and Iraq, with rates of 8.09% and 12.49%, experience restrictive cultural norms and political instability, which limit women's economic roles. In Saudi Arabia, despite recent reforms, the 2012 rate was only 20.57%, reflecting longstanding gender norms and legal restrictions that have historically restricted women's economic participation. The low rates in these regions highlight the impact of societal norms and legal frameworks on female economic engagement.

Year-over-Year Trends and Economic Shifts

The year-over-year changes in female labor force participation rates offer insights into dynamic economic shifts. Costa Rica experienced the most significant increase with a 10.5% rise, reaching a new level of participation. This increase can be attributed to improved educational opportunities and economic diversification. Guatemala and Paraguay also saw substantial increases of 12.7% and 9.2%, respectively, reflecting efforts to integrate women into growing sectors such as manufacturing and services.

Conversely, Uganda saw a dramatic decline of 15.4%, indicating potential economic disruptions or policy changes that may have affected women's participation. Similar declines in Albania and Cambodia, with decreases of 7.3% and 4.0%, suggest possible economic contractions or shifts in industrial focus that disproportionately impacted female workers.

Policy Implications and Economic Inclusivity

The data from 2012 underscores the importance of policies that promote gender equality in the workforce. Countries like Sweden and Iceland demonstrate how comprehensive social policies can support high levels of female participation. In contrast, the low rates in countries such as Yemen and Iraq highlight the need for policy reforms to dismantle barriers to female employment. The average global participation rate of 55.87% serves as a call to action for policymakers to create environments that facilitate women's economic inclusion, recognizing that an empowered female workforce is crucial for sustainable economic growth and development.

Frequently Asked Questions About Female Labor Force Participation Rate in 2012

Which country had the highest female labor force participation rate in 2012?

North Korea had the highest female labor force participation rate in 2012, with 85.98%.

Which country had the lowest female labor force participation rate in 2012?

Yemen had the lowest female labor force participation rate in 2012, with 8.09%.

What was the average female labor force participation rate across all countries in 2012?

The average female labor force participation rate across all countries in 2012 was 55.87%.

What was the median female labor force participation rate in 2012?

The median female labor force participation rate in 2012 was 58.03%.

Which countries were in the top 10 for female labor force participation rate in 2012?

The top 10 countries for female labor force participation rate in 2012 were North Korea, Madagascar, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Iceland, Cambodia, Mozambique, Burundi, Bahamas, and Sweden.

How many countries were included in the dataset for female labor force participation rate in 2012?

The dataset for female labor force participation rate in 2012 included 186 countries.

Insights by country

1

Solomon Islands

In 2012, the Solomon Islands achieved a remarkable rank of #3 globally for Female Labor Force Participation Rate, with a rate of 84.223%. This figure is significantly higher than the global average, highlighting the country's strong engagement of women in the workforce.

The high participation rate can be attributed to the traditional roles women play in subsistence agriculture and local economies, where their contributions are essential for household survival. Additionally, community-based initiatives have promoted women's involvement in various sectors, fostering economic resilience in these island communities.

2

China

In 2012, China ranked #42 globally with a Female Labor Force Participation Rate of 69.922%. This rate is notably higher than the global average, reflecting the country's significant economic growth and urbanization trends. Key drivers include government policies promoting gender equality in the workforce and the increasing demand for labor in manufacturing and service sectors, which have encouraged female employment.

3

Angola

In 2012, Angola achieved a Female Labor Force Participation Rate of 75.701%, ranking #19 out of 186 countries. This rate is significantly higher than the global average, reflecting the country's unique socio-economic landscape. Key drivers include Angola's post-war reconstruction efforts, which have emphasized the inclusion of women in the workforce, particularly in agriculture and informal sectors.

4

Austria

In 2012, Austria ranked #39 globally with a Female Labor Force Participation Rate of 70.146 %. This rate is above the European Union average, reflecting Austria's commitment to gender equality in the workforce. Key drivers include strong social policies supporting work-life balance, such as parental leave and child care options, which encourage women's participation in the labor market.

5

Burundi

In 2012, Burundi achieved a remarkable 8 global rank in Female Labor Force Participation Rate, with a value of 81.056 %. This rate significantly exceeds the global average, reflecting a strong engagement of women in the workforce compared to many countries. Key drivers include the country's agricultural economy, where women play a crucial role in subsistence farming, and cultural norms that support female labor participation.

6

Lithuania

In 2012, Lithuania ranked #40 globally with a Female Labor Force Participation Rate of 70.09%. This rate is notably higher than the global average, reflecting the country's progressive labor policies and commitment to gender equality. Key drivers include Lithuania's focus on education and workforce integration for women, alongside supportive family policies that facilitate work-life balance.

7

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Congo, Democratic Republic of the ranked #72 globally with a Female Labor Force Participation Rate of 63.31% in 2012. This rate is notably higher than the global average, which reflects ongoing efforts to integrate women into the workforce amid challenging economic conditions. Factors contributing to this participation include the necessity for dual-income households in a largely informal economy and social changes promoting women's roles in society.

8

Bhutan

In 2012, Bhutan achieved a Female Labor Force Participation Rate of 65.766 %, ranking #62 out of 186 countries. This rate is notably higher than the global average, indicating a strong presence of women in the workforce. Key drivers behind this participation include government policies promoting gender equality and the integration of women into various sectors, particularly in agriculture and tourism.

9

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka ranked #160 globally with a Female Labor Force Participation Rate of 35.706% in 2012. This figure is significantly below the global average, indicating challenges in women's economic engagement compared to higher-ranking countries. Key drivers for this low participation include cultural norms that prioritize traditional gender roles and limited access to employment opportunities, particularly in rural areas where women's workforce involvement is often restricted.

10

Comoros

In 2012, Comoros ranked #162 globally with a Female Labor Force Participation Rate of 33.881 %. This figure is significantly lower than the global average, indicating challenges in gender equality in the workforce.

Factors contributing to this low participation rate include limited economic opportunities, a high prevalence of informal employment, and cultural norms that often restrict women's roles in the labor market. Additionally, the country's geographic isolation and reliance on agriculture further limit women's access to diverse employment options.

Data Source

Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) | Data

The dataset is provided by the World Bank and offers modeled estimates of the female labor force participation rate as a percentage of the female population aged 15-64. It serves as a key indicator for understanding women's engagement in the labor market across different countries.

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Historical Data by Year

Explore Female Labor Force Participation Rate data across different years. Compare trends and see how statistics have changed over time.

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