Labor force, female in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Labor force, female was 19.17 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
19.17 million
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
16th
of 186 countries
All-time high
19.17 million
in 2025
All-time low
7.49 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Labor force, female in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2025

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M1990200720251990: 7.5M1991: 7.7M1992: 8.0M1993: 8.3M1994: 8.7M1995: 9.1M1996: 9.2M1997: 9.2M1998: 9.4M1999: 9.7M2000: 10.0M2001: 10.3M2002: 10.6M2003: 10.9M2004: 11.2M2005: 11.6M2006: 11.7M2007: 11.8M2008: 12.0M2009: 12.1M2010: 12.3M2011: 12.4M2012: 12.6M2013: 13.0M2014: 13.4M2015: 13.8M2016: 14.2M2017: 14.7M2018: 15.2M2019: 15.6M2020: 15.8M2021: 16.4M2022: 17.2M2023: 17.9M2024: 18.5M2025: 19.2M

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for labor force, female in Democratic Republic of Congo is 19.17 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 39.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force, female in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 19.17 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 7.49 million, in 1990.

That places Democratic Republic of Congo 16th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 8.67 million 7.49 million 9.69 million 10
2000s 11.23 million 10.00 million 12.10 million 10
2010s 13.70 million 12.25 million 15.56 million 10
2020s 17.51 million 15.85 million 19.17 million 6

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 13 Philippines 21.73 million compare
  2. 14 Germany 20.25 million compare
  3. 15 Pakistan 19.39 million compare
  4. 17 Thailand 18.74 million compare
  5. 18 United Kingdom 16.92 million compare
  6. 19 Tanzania 16.69 million compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More gender data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force, female in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Labor force, female in Democratic Republic of Congo was 19.17 million 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 19.17 million in 2025.
What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 7.49 million in 1990.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for labor force, female?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 16th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is labor force, female rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 39.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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

CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

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.