Share of female workers by sector in Iran
Iran: Share of female workers by sector was 12.7 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
12.7
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
86th
of 186 countries
All-time high
25.87
in 1993
All-time low
12.7
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Share of female workers by sector in Iran, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, share of female workers by sector in Iran stood at 12.7. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of female workers by sector in Iran peaked at 25.87 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 12.7, in 2025.
Iran ranks 86th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of female workers by sector in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 25.8 | — |
| 1992 | 25.65 | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 25.87 | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 25.83 | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 25.62 | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 25.43 | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 25.38 | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 25.24 | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 25.22 | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 25.04 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 24.96 | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 24.54 | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 24.17 | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 24.02 | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 23.75 | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 24.7 | +4.0% |
| 2007 | 22.93 | -7.2% |
| 2008 | 22.71 | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 22.22 | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 20.12 | -9.5% |
| 2011 | 19.4 | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 18.37 | -5.3% |
| 2013 | 17.95 | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 16.6 | -7.5% |
| 2015 | 17.57 | +5.9% |
| 2016 | 16.9 | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 16.48 | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 16.35 | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 16.56 | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 15.32 | -7.5% |
| 2021 | 14.13 | -7.8% |
| 2022 | 13.82 | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 13.15 | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 12.87 | -2.1% |
| 2025 | 12.7 | -1.3% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 12.7 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.64, 1.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iran's 12.7 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.81, 3.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.56 | 25.22 | 25.87 | 9 |
| 2000s | 23.9 | 22.22 | 25.04 | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.63 | 16.35 | 20.12 | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.66 | 12.7 | 15.32 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More gender data for Iran
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 18,410 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -2.73 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 77,077 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 77,077 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 552,656 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 580,401 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 565,065 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 593,686 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 576,359 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of female workers by sector in Iran?
- Share of female workers by sector in Iran was 12.7 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of female workers by sector recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 25.87 in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of female workers by sector recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.7 in 2025.
- How does Iran rank for share of female workers by sector?
- Iran ranks 86th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of female workers by sector rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran 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).