Share of female workers by sector in India
India: Share of female workers by sector was 59.83 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
59.83
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
20th
of 186 countries
All-time high
76.78
in 1991
All-time low
51.1
in 2018
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Share of female workers by sector in India, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of female workers by sector in India is 59.83, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of female workers by sector in India peaked at 76.78 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 51.1, in 2018.
India ranks 20th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of female workers by sector in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 76.78 | — |
| 1992 | 76.69 | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 76.53 | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 76.45 | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 76.24 | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 75.87 | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 75.48 | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 74.94 | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 74.17 | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 74.07 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 73.2 | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 72.4 | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 71.29 | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 70.04 | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 68.94 | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 68.54 | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 67.67 | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 67.16 | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 66.22 | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 65.33 | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 62.54 | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 59.7 | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 58.43 | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 56.99 | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 55.69 | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 54.1 | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 52.63 | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 51.1 | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 52.4 | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 58.07 | +10.8% |
| 2021 | 59.3 | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 59.15 | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 61.55 | +4.0% |
| 2024 | 60.5 | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 59.83 | -1.1% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 59.83 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 34.86, 1.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 59.83 is above the median for South Asia, which is 43.57, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 75.91 | 74.17 | 76.78 | 9 |
| 2000s | 69.95 | 66.22 | 74.07 | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.89 | 51.1 | 65.33 | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.73 | 58.07 | 61.55 | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
More gender data for India
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 341,454 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.5667 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 1.18 million (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 1.18 million (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 10.96 million (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 11.71 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 10.92 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 11.70 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 10.89 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of female workers by sector in India?
- Share of female workers by sector in India was 59.83 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of female workers by sector recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 76.78 in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of female workers by sector recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.1 in 2018.
- How does India rank for share of female workers by sector?
- India ranks 20th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of female workers by sector rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of female workers by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).