Labor force, female in Low & middle income

Low & middle income: Labor force, female was 1.17 billion in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
1.17 billion
Change on year
up 1.3%
Rank
3rd
of 48 groups
All-time high
1.17 billion
in 2025
All-time low
672.29 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Labor force, female in Low & middle income, 1990–2025

0250.0M500.0M750.0M1.0B1.2B1990200720251990: 672.3M1991: 685.7M1992: 700.3M1993: 712.7M1994: 729.9M1995: 746.0M1996: 761.9M1997: 779.3M1998: 797.8M1999: 815.2M2000: 831.9M2001: 848.0M2002: 863.2M2003: 880.2M2004: 896.6M2005: 914.0M2006: 924.5M2007: 937.7M2008: 945.8M2009: 957.1M2010: 965.2M2011: 976.5M2012: 985.4M2013: 997.3M2014: 1.0B2015: 1.0B2016: 1.0B2017: 1.0B2018: 1.1B2019: 1.1B2020: 1.1B2021: 1.1B2022: 1.1B2023: 1.1B2024: 1.2B2025: 1.2B

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

Analysis

Low & middle income recorded 1.17 billion for labor force, female in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 14.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force, female in Low & middle income peaked at 1.17 billion in 2025 and was at its lowest, 672.29 million, in 1990.

That places Low & middle income 3rd out of 48 groups 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 740.10 million 672.29 million 815.20 million 10
2000s 899.89 million 831.94 million 957.08 million 10
2010s 1.02 billion 965.20 million 1.07 billion 10
2020s 1.12 billion 1.06 billion 1.17 billion 6

Countries ranked near Low & middle income

  1. 1 China 348.52 million compare
  2. 2 India 174.86 million compare
  3. 3 United States 79.77 million compare
  4. 4 Indonesia 58.27 million compare
  5. 5 Nigeria 56.43 million compare
  6. 6 Brazil 46.97 million compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More gender data for Low & middle income

All data for Low & middle income →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force, female in Low & middle income?
Labor force, female in Low & middle income was 1.17 billion 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 Low & middle income?
The highest recorded value was 1.17 billion in 2025.
What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Low & middle income?
The lowest recorded value was 672.29 million in 1990.
How does Low & middle income rank for labor force, female?
Low & middle income ranks 3rd out of 48 groups with data for 2025.
Is labor force, female rising or falling in Low & middle income?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Low & middle income 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.