Labor force, female in Philippines

Philippines: Labor force, female was 21.73 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
21.73 million
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
13th
of 187 countries
All-time high
21.73 million
in 2025
All-time low
8.80 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Labor force, female in Philippines, 1990–2025

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M1990200720251990: 8.8M1991: 9.0M1992: 9.3M1993: 9.5M1994: 9.8M1995: 10.0M1996: 10.3M1997: 10.6M1998: 10.9M1999: 11.2M2000: 11.6M2001: 11.9M2002: 12.2M2003: 12.5M2004: 12.7M2005: 13.3M2006: 13.6M2007: 14.0M2008: 14.1M2009: 14.7M2010: 15.2M2011: 15.8M2012: 16.0M2013: 16.4M2014: 17.0M2015: 17.2M2016: 17.4M2017: 16.6M2018: 17.2M2019: 17.9M2020: 16.8M2021: 17.7M2022: 20.5M2023: 20.9M2024: 21.3M2025: 21.7M

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

Analysis

In 2025, labor force, female in Philippines stood at 21.73 million. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and up 26.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force, female in Philippines peaked at 21.73 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 8.80 million, in 1990.

Philippines ranks 13th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Labor force, female in Philippines, year by year

Annual values for Labor force, female in Philippines, 1990 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1990 8.80 million
1991 9.04 million +2.7%
1992 9.29 million +2.7%
1993 9.54 million +2.8%
1994 9.78 million +2.5%
1995 10.02 million +2.5%
1996 10.27 million +2.5%
1997 10.55 million +2.7%
1998 10.90 million +3.3%
1999 11.24 million +3.2%
2000 11.57 million +3.0%
2001 11.90 million +2.8%
2002 12.20 million +2.6%
2003 12.51 million +2.5%
2004 12.75 million +1.9%
2005 13.28 million +4.2%
2006 13.63 million +2.7%
2007 13.96 million +2.4%
2008 14.12 million +1.2%
2009 14.70 million +4.1%
2010 15.15 million +3.1%
2011 15.79 million +4.2%
2012 16.02 million +1.5%
2013 16.37 million +2.2%
2014 17.01 million +3.9%
2015 17.23 million +1.3%
2016 17.43 million +1.2%
2017 16.64 million -4.5%
2018 17.17 million +3.2%
2019 17.91 million +4.3%
2020 16.75 million -6.5%
2021 17.68 million +5.5%
2022 20.51 million +16.0%
2023 20.92 million +2.0%
2024 21.34 million +2.0%
2025 21.73 million +1.8%

Philippines compared with similar countries

  • Philippines's 21.73 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.49 million, 14.6× the median. (53 countries reporting)
  • Philippines's 21.73 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.70 million, 12.8× the median. (29 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 9.94 million 8.80 million 11.24 million 10
2000s 13.06 million 11.57 million 14.70 million 10
2010s 16.67 million 15.15 million 17.91 million 10
2020s 19.82 million 16.75 million 21.73 million 6

Countries ranked near Philippines

  1. 10 Bangladesh 25.43 million compare
  2. 11 Mexico 24.84 million compare
  3. 12 Ethiopia 24.46 million compare
  4. 14 Germany 20.25 million compare
  5. 15 Pakistan 19.39 million compare
  6. 16 Democratic Republic of Congo 19.17 million compare

See the full ranking of 235 places →

More gender data for Philippines

All data for Philippines →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force, female in Philippines?
Labor force, female in Philippines was 21.73 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 Philippines?
The highest recorded value was 21.73 million in 2025.
What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Philippines?
The lowest recorded value was 8.80 million in 1990.
How does Philippines rank for labor force, female?
Philippines ranks 13th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
Is labor force, female rising or falling in Philippines?
Over the last ten years it is up 26.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Philippines 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.

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Labor force, female in Philippines. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/stat/labor-force-female/philippines/

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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
235 places, 8,446 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.