Labor force, female in World
World: Labor force, female was 1.50 billion in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, female in World, 1990–2025
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 World is 1.50 billion, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, female in World peaked at 1.50 billion in 2025 and was at its lowest, 913.51 million, in 1990.
That places World 1st 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 991.17 million | 913.51 million | 1.08 billion | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.18 billion | 1.10 billion | 1.25 billion | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.32 billion | 1.26 billion | 1.39 billion | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.45 billion | 1.37 billion | 1.50 billion | 6 |
Countries ranked near World
More gender data for World
- Prevalence of obesity, female 15.1% (2016)
- Prevalence of obesity, male 11.1% (2016)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-49, female 0.25 per 1,000 uninfected female population ages 15-49 (2024)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-49, male 0.3 per 1,000 uninfected male population ages 15-49 (2024)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-24, female 0.35 per 1,000 uninfected female population ages 15-24 (2024)
- Incidence of HIV, ages 15-24, male 0.25 per 1,000 uninfected male population ages 15-24 (2024)
- Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15-24) 116.9% (2025)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, female 12.35 years (2019)
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, male 12.34 years (2019)
- Proportion of women in ministerial level positions 22.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, female in World?
- Labor force, female in World was 1.50 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 1.50 billion in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 913.51 million in 1990.
- How does World rank for labor force, female?
- World ranks 1st out of 48 groups with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, female rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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
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.