Labor force, female in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Labor force, female was 639,744 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
639,744
Change on year
up 2.6%
World rank
130th
of 186 countries
All-time high
2.07 million
in 2017
All-time low
506,575
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Labor force, female in Afghanistan, 1990–2025

500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1990200720251990: 506.6k1991: 512.0k1992: 551.1k1993: 613.1k1994: 657.0k1995: 678.7k1996: 693.8k1997: 706.8k1998: 719.9k1999: 733.6k2000: 731.2k2001: 728.9k2002: 764.0k2003: 811.5k2004: 844.1k2005: 881.5k2006: 930.6k2007: 967.0k2008: 1.0M2009: 1.1M2010: 1.1M2011: 1.2M2012: 1.3M2013: 1.4M2014: 1.6M2015: 1.7M2016: 1.9M2017: 2.1M2018: 2.0M2019: 1.9M2020: 1.8M2021: 1.6M2022: 591.5k2023: 605.8k2024: 623.8k2025: 639.7k

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division.

Analysis

Afghanistan recorded 639,744 for labor force, female in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.6% on the previous year and down 63.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force, female in Afghanistan peaked at 2.07 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 506,575, in 1990.

Afghanistan ranks 130th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 637,262 506,575 733,643 10
2000s 874,989 728,925 1.08 million 10
2010s 1.63 million 1.14 million 2.07 million 10
2020s 983,441 591,504 1.80 million 6

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 127 Jamaica 743,668 compare
  2. 128 Armenia 700,658 compare
  3. 129 Kuwait 691,999 compare
  4. 131 Mongolia 639,632 compare
  5. 132 Jordan 622,290 compare
  6. 133 Albania 586,512 compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More gender data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force, female in Afghanistan?
Labor force, female in Afghanistan was 639,744 in 2025, according to World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division.
What is the highest labor force, female recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 2.07 million in 2017.
What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 506,575 in 1990.
How does Afghanistan rank for labor force, female?
Afghanistan ranks 130th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is labor force, female rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is down 63.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division, published as part of Labor force, female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Labor force, female
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 8,410 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Female labor force comprises women ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.