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Labour force participation rate (Ratio of female to male shares)

Ratio of female to male of the working-age population (ages 15–64) that actively engages in the labour market, by either working or actively looking for work.

Source: ILO (2011). ["Key Indicators on the Labour Market: 6th edition". Geneva: ILO.].http://www.ilo.org/empelm/what/lang--en/WCMS_114240. Accessed March 2011.

Data in the tables are those available to the Human Development Report Office as of 15 May 2011, unless otherwise specified.

HDI Rank Country 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
.. Very high human development 0.602 0.635 0.674 0.698 0.722 0.744 0.747 0.749 0.753 0.754
.. High human development 0.582 0.579 0.583 0.599 0.612 0.629 0.635 0.636 0.642 0.643
.. Medium human development 0.630 0.644 0.666 0.661 0.651 0.644 0.645 0.646 0.648 0.644
.. Low human development 0.601 0.603 0.615 0.616 0.623 0.641 0.644 0.648 0.650 0.655
1 Norway 0.680 0.734 0.779 0.823 0.838 0.863 0.862 0.875 0.882 0.887
2 Australia 0.570 0.609 0.689 0.724 0.754 0.789 0.795 0.800 0.805 0.808
3 Netherlands 0.571 0.567 0.611 0.676 0.731 0.783 0.789 0.801 0.808 0.816
4 United States 0.661 0.710 0.751 0.783 0.800 0.807 0.807 0.809 0.814 0.811
5 New Zealand 0.651 0.680 0.720 0.746 0.774 0.806 0.806 0.810 0.820 0.817
6 Canada 0.641 0.710 0.762 0.786 0.812 0.840 0.848 0.854 0.854 0.859
7 Ireland 0.385 0.452 0.500 0.580 0.663 0.715 0.721 0.736 0.741 0.745
8 Liechtenstein .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
9 Germany 0.565 0.577 0.623 0.687 0.723 0.770 0.778 0.784 0.790 0.796
10 Sweden 0.795 0.849 0.876 0.868 0.871 0.874 0.873 0.877 0.875 0.875
11 Switzerland 0.673 0.684 0.702 0.710 0.744 0.791 0.794 0.793 0.816 0.822
12 Japan 0.596 0.622 0.647 0.644 0.645 0.659 0.662 0.661 0.664 0.668
13 Hong Kong, China (SAR) 0.560 0.605 0.593 0.621 0.675 0.731 0.737 0.737 0.743 0.758
14 Iceland 0.839 0.856 0.882 0.872 0.882 0.876 0.871 0.875 0.874 0.862
15 Korea (Republic of) 0.571 0.590 0.642 0.644 0.666 0.682 0.689 0.688 0.691 0.696
16 Denmark 0.776 0.802 0.818 0.794 0.838 0.847 0.854 0.852 0.855 0.855
17 Israel 0.553 0.580 0.658 0.724 0.789 0.818 0.819 0.820 0.815 0.831
18 Belgium 0.531 0.565 0.598 0.660 0.708 0.744 0.752 0.761 0.770 0.768
19 Austria 0.538 0.568 0.618 0.694 0.713 0.761 0.769 0.767 0.779 0.781
20 France 0.621 0.670 0.704 0.752 0.769 0.802 0.806 0.814 0.818 0.812
21 Slovenia 0.788 0.787 0.798 0.787 0.802 0.799 0.809 0.804 0.816 0.807
22 Finland 0.784 0.825 0.820 0.838 0.852 0.875 0.876 0.879 0.873 0.879
23 Spain 0.368 0.398 0.501 0.572 0.619 0.673 0.693 0.705 0.724 0.718
24 Italy 0.467 0.477 0.526 0.537 0.577 0.617 0.621 0.620 0.631 0.634
25 Luxembourg 0.457 0.487 0.500 0.534 0.626 0.702 0.731 0.742 0.741 0.759
26 Singapore 0.549 0.557 0.640 0.630 0.665 0.692 0.699 0.696 0.715 0.711
27 Czech Republic 0.715 0.720 0.730 0.732 0.745 0.737 0.737 0.729 0.723 0.722
28 United Kingdom 0.587 0.651 0.701 0.734 0.765 0.789 0.792 0.790 0.792 0.795
29 Greece 0.479 0.496 0.538 0.554 0.621 0.654 0.658 0.659 0.659 0.660
30 United Arab Emirates 0.168 0.221 0.274 0.338 0.375 0.430 0.439 0.447 0.454 0.454
31 Cyprus 0.508 0.554 0.623 0.648 0.691 0.737 0.753 0.768 0.776 0.767
32 Andorra .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
33 Brunei Darussalam 0.367 0.449 0.547 0.623 0.700 0.765 0.779 0.792 0.803 0.798
34 Estonia 0.836 0.831 0.823 0.758 0.775 0.814 0.814 0.794 0.798 0.794
35 Slovakia 0.826 0.825 0.817 0.748 0.772 0.747 0.742 0.745 0.745 0.747
36 Malta 0.303 0.289 0.309 0.343 0.420 0.442 0.450 0.478 0.500 0.468
37 Qatar 0.253 0.401 0.428 0.451 0.400 0.496 0.508 0.517 0.520 0.537
38 Hungary 0.697 0.697 0.717 0.683 0.710 0.736 0.733 0.728 0.731 0.724
39 Poland 0.773 0.762 0.766 0.769 0.782 0.760 0.750 0.746 0.742 0.747
40 Lithuania 0.823 0.812 0.799 0.775 0.826 0.810 0.819 0.816 0.814 0.809
41 Portugal 0.567 0.633 0.665 0.719 0.757 0.800 0.801 0.809 0.808 0.809
42 Bahrain 0.197 0.258 0.319 0.355 0.392 0.385 0.382 0.379 0.378 0.381
43 Latvia 0.839 0.829 0.816 0.751 0.752 0.769 0.773 0.779 0.790 0.773
44 Chile 0.393 0.396 0.418 0.447 0.480 0.526 0.536 0.560 0.578 0.570
45 Argentina 0.504 0.529 0.550 0.538 0.589 0.642 0.653 0.653 0.655 0.669
46 Croatia 0.692 0.682 0.677 0.694 0.717 0.756 0.770 0.748 0.758 0.766
47 Barbados 0.730 0.757 0.791 0.817 0.825 0.838 0.842 0.846 0.846 0.843
48 Uruguay 0.582 0.625 0.626 0.629 0.656 0.688 0.695 0.704 0.700 0.713
49 Palau .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
50 Romania 0.824 0.827 0.821 0.819 0.817 0.763 0.766 0.759 0.747 0.757
51 Cuba 0.440 0.479 0.493 0.519 0.544 0.582 0.593 0.613 0.609 0.612
52 Seychelles .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
53 Bahamas 0.734 0.776 0.815 0.805 0.848 0.860 0.866 0.868 0.866 0.868
54 Montenegro .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
55 Bulgaria 0.876 0.867 0.876 0.872 0.832 0.796 0.809 0.807 0.793 0.787
56 Saudi Arabia 0.128 0.175 0.188 0.191 0.221 0.247 0.252 0.256 0.260 0.266
57 Mexico 0.391 0.409 0.409 0.452 0.470 0.505 0.513 0.523 0.532 0.537
58 Panama 0.402 0.451 0.489 0.522 0.552 0.592 0.578 0.588 0.588 0.600
59 Serbia .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
60 Antigua and Barbuda .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
61 Malaysia 0.532 0.532 0.534 0.525 0.548 0.551 0.552 0.554 0.554 0.561
62 Trinidad and Tobago 0.527 0.536 0.508 0.593 0.613 0.702 0.707 0.682 0.698 0.705
63 Kuwait 0.244 0.349 0.440 0.486 0.521 0.542 0.540 0.540 0.535 0.550
64 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 0.158 0.170 0.206 0.250 0.300 0.313 0.311 0.308 0.303 0.313
65 Belarus 0.832 0.807 0.802 0.792 0.808 0.816 0.819 0.821 0.824 0.824
66 Russian Federation 0.792 0.780 0.791 0.772 0.793 0.816 0.821 0.816 0.820 0.830
67 Grenada .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
68 Kazakhstan 0.795 0.788 0.799 0.814 0.848 0.858 0.863 0.868 0.871 0.861
69 Costa Rica 0.349 0.335 0.388 0.422 0.449 0.531 0.548 0.557 0.556 0.565
70 Albania 0.697 0.697 0.690 0.681 0.689 0.693 0.693 0.694 0.694 0.700
71 Lebanon 0.217 0.212 0.275 0.270 0.279 0.298 0.305 0.312 0.311 0.312
72 Saint Kitts and Nevis .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
73 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 0.346 0.384 0.442 0.498 0.560 0.616 0.626 0.626 0.637 0.644
74 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.816 0.797 0.790 0.796 0.810 0.806 0.805 0.804 0.803 0.805
75 Georgia 0.778 0.771 0.764 0.779 0.740 0.756 0.755 0.754 0.753 0.746
76 Ukraine 0.800 0.780 0.792 0.784 0.801 0.796 0.794 0.793 0.791 0.796
77 Mauritius 0.372 0.425 0.464 0.482 0.504 0.535 0.543 0.535 0.554 0.546
78 The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 0.697 0.685 0.679 0.645 0.625 0.657 0.629 0.644 0.645 0.659
79 Jamaica 0.807 0.820 0.816 0.839 0.775 0.754 0.759 0.762 0.763 0.757
80 Peru 0.609 0.662 0.654 0.670 0.715 0.751 0.753 0.755 0.756 0.767
81 Dominica .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
82 Saint Lucia 0.424 0.453 0.550 0.574 0.608 0.651 0.658 0.662 0.667 0.673
83 Ecuador 0.358 0.391 0.416 0.468 0.530 0.573 0.583 0.596 0.603 0.606
84 Brazil 0.450 0.484 0.524 0.636 0.667 0.712 0.720 0.720 0.730 0.734
85 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.459 0.514 0.548 0.583 0.634 0.675 0.691 0.703 0.706 0.711
86 Armenia 0.784 0.780 0.782 0.784 0.789 0.799 0.800 0.801 0.799 0.799
87 Colombia 0.298 0.342 0.374 0.412 0.462 0.503 0.507 0.511 0.521 0.524
88 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 0.243 0.243 0.269 0.342 0.387 0.415 0.423 0.430 0.444 0.437
89 Oman 0.271 0.224 0.233 0.249 0.296 0.317 0.319 0.321 0.323 0.330
90 Tonga 0.555 0.558 0.556 0.554 0.642 0.711 0.712 0.711 0.710 0.731
91 Azerbaijan 0.797 0.792 0.803 0.770 0.802 0.868 0.881 0.895 0.910 0.891
92 Turkey 0.367 0.383 0.424 0.398 0.362 0.344 0.347 0.346 0.355 0.344
93 Belize 0.387 0.398 0.430 0.436 0.483 0.553 0.561 0.565 0.570 0.588
94 Tunisia 0.237 0.255 0.275 0.305 0.330 0.351 0.355 0.357 0.359 0.362
95 Jordan 0.177 0.196 0.214 0.266 0.287 0.298 0.299 0.305 0.312 0.315
96 Algeria 0.274 0.276 0.304 0.340 0.396 0.437 0.446 0.453 0.458 0.467
97 Sri Lanka 0.496 0.461 0.472 0.474 0.474 0.454 0.485 0.466 0.461 0.456
98 Dominican Republic 0.473 0.491 0.505 0.530 0.577 0.601 0.615 0.627 0.635 0.633
99 Samoa 0.523 0.521 0.520 0.516 0.514 0.503 0.501 0.500 0.498 0.503
100 Fiji 0.274 0.275 0.348 0.470 0.497 0.497 0.497 0.495 0.494 0.494
101 China 0.812 0.834 0.860 0.852 0.848 0.847 0.847 0.848 0.848 0.845
102 Turkmenistan 0.794 0.793 0.804 0.806 0.821 0.833 0.833 0.832 0.832 0.844
103 Thailand 0.869 0.864 0.863 0.796 0.813 0.816 0.806 0.811 0.813 0.811
104 Suriname 0.513 0.536 0.528 0.496 0.515 0.551 0.558 0.566 0.577 0.583
105 El Salvador 0.482 0.483 0.488 0.514 0.569 0.575 0.583 0.597 0.608 0.599
106 Gabon 0.811 0.776 0.760 0.753 0.778 0.820 0.830 0.839 0.849 0.864
107 Paraguay 0.490 0.522 0.543 0.565 0.596 0.639 0.647 0.653 0.638 0.658
108 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 0.654 0.703 0.720 0.722 0.729 0.744 0.747 0.757 0.758 0.757
109 Maldives 0.303 0.386 0.401 0.383 0.525 0.671 0.698 0.724 0.752 0.742
110 Mongolia 0.835 0.834 0.818 0.830 0.846 0.858 0.860 0.863 0.866 0.867
111 Moldova (Republic of) 0.836 0.822 0.822 0.835 0.871 0.921 0.915 0.911 0.905 0.875
112 Philippines 0.625 0.592 0.573 0.590 0.595 0.622 0.613 0.613 0.617 0.627
113 Egypt 0.391 0.373 0.360 0.336 0.321 0.311 0.311 0.314 0.313 0.297
114 Occupied Palestinian Territory 0.156 0.167 0.169 0.166 0.156 0.206 0.213 0.219 0.226 0.242
115 Uzbekistan 0.788 0.777 0.790 0.809 0.823 0.824 0.823 0.822 0.821 0.822
116 Micronesia (Federated States of) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
117 Guyana 0.413 0.401 0.443 0.510 0.553 0.554 0.552 0.551 0.561 0.551
118 Botswana 0.780 0.769 0.780 0.823 0.856 0.878 0.883 0.888 0.893 0.893
119 Syrian Arab Republic 0.160 0.173 0.223 0.282 0.254 0.253 0.256 0.260 0.262 0.265
120 Namibia 0.645 0.652 0.748 0.770 0.761 0.800 0.810 0.821 0.833 0.828
121 Honduras 0.465 0.462 0.471 0.487 0.506 0.483 0.483 0.493 0.501 0.499
122 Kiribati .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
123 South Africa 0.503 0.532 0.576 0.661 0.727 0.745 0.741 0.737 0.740 0.740
124 Indonesia 0.532 0.538 0.618 0.602 0.594 0.588 0.595 0.603 0.611 0.605
125 Vanuatu 0.896 0.897 0.896 0.897 0.898 0.898 0.899 0.899 0.900 0.898
126 Kyrgyzstan 0.778 0.772 0.786 0.778 0.759 0.708 0.700 0.701 0.702 0.692
127 Tajikistan 0.734 0.731 0.732 0.657 0.666 0.712 0.717 0.722 0.725 0.734
128 Viet Nam 0.903 0.905 0.901 0.912 0.899 0.895 0.896 0.897 0.897 0.894
129 Nicaragua 0.470 0.454 0.462 0.405 0.443 0.536 0.557 0.568 0.578 0.601
130 Morocco 0.290 0.294 0.301 0.329 0.341 0.328 0.328 0.331 0.331 0.327
131 Guatemala 0.464 0.442 0.449 0.467 0.487 0.514 0.535 0.542 0.547 0.547
132 Iraq 0.135 0.142 0.149 0.162 0.177 0.193 0.193 0.193 0.192 0.200
133 Cape Verde 0.531 0.524 0.490 0.504 0.547 0.613 0.624 0.636 0.648 0.658
134 India 0.378 0.389 0.404 0.415 0.401 0.396 0.400 0.404 0.409 0.404
135 Ghana 0.932 0.949 0.965 0.962 0.948 0.970 0.974 0.978 0.982 0.981
136 Equatorial Guinea 0.414 0.491 0.432 0.363 0.363 0.402 0.408 0.412 0.416 0.432
137 Congo 0.700 0.689 0.709 0.728 0.736 0.749 0.751 0.754 0.756 0.762
138 Lao People's Democratic Republic 0.956 0.963 0.968 0.973 0.977 0.985 0.986 0.987 0.988 0.985
139 Cambodia 0.947 0.941 0.926 0.909 0.892 0.871 0.871 0.871 0.870 0.859
140 Swaziland 0.554 0.550 0.556 0.561 0.619 0.667 0.679 0.691 0.704 0.709
141 Bhutan 0.834 0.750 0.672 0.515 0.512 0.666 0.693 0.718 0.741 0.757
142 Solomon Islands 0.513 0.508 0.507 0.505 0.494 0.488 0.486 0.486 0.485 0.484
143 Kenya 0.820 0.823 0.832 0.841 0.852 0.863 0.862 0.861 0.860 0.867
144 Sao Tome and Principe 0.447 0.462 0.479 0.512 0.563 0.571 0.574 0.578 0.583 0.585
145 Pakistan 0.136 0.136 0.159 0.150 0.191 0.229 0.246 0.251 0.252 0.256
146 Bangladesh 0.637 0.660 0.692 0.672 0.636 0.679 0.687 0.695 0.704 0.711
147 Timor-Leste 0.713 0.704 0.706 0.697 0.699 0.712 0.713 0.713 0.712 0.712
148 Angola 0.832 0.829 0.821 0.829 0.833 0.836 0.836 0.837 0.839 0.842
149 Myanmar 0.788 0.781 0.793 0.782 0.766 0.750 0.749 0.748 0.749 0.742
150 Cameroon 0.598 0.571 0.581 0.603 0.629 0.647 0.650 0.652 0.655 0.662
151 Madagascar 0.925 0.938 0.943 0.944 0.937 0.943 0.945 0.947 0.949 0.949
152 Tanzania (United Republic of) 0.948 0.950 0.952 0.956 0.958 0.956 0.955 0.954 0.954 0.953
153 Papua New Guinea 0.959 0.962 0.962 0.969 0.967 0.965 0.965 0.966 0.967 0.965
154 Yemen 0.241 0.226 0.215 0.227 0.235 0.254 0.258 0.262 0.265 0.271
155 Senegal 0.705 0.685 0.689 0.695 0.705 0.718 0.721 0.724 0.727 0.732
156 Nigeria 0.470 0.475 0.477 0.495 0.517 0.525 0.526 0.527 0.529 0.534
157 Nepal 0.523 0.563 0.619 0.678 0.737 0.766 0.772 0.780 0.789 0.788
158 Haiti 0.726 0.694 0.705 0.646 0.692 0.696 0.700 0.705 0.705 0.694
159 Mauritania 0.629 0.636 0.641 0.657 0.682 0.708 0.711 0.716 0.721 0.728
160 Lesotho 0.823 0.821 0.815 0.823 0.861 0.890 0.894 0.898 0.902 0.911
161 Uganda 0.891 0.890 0.886 0.875 0.867 0.865 0.865 0.865 0.865 0.865
162 Togo 0.625 0.630 0.642 0.670 0.695 0.721 0.726 0.732 0.737 0.743
163 Comoros 0.737 0.718 0.740 0.784 0.837 0.852 0.853 0.854 0.855 0.863
164 Zambia 0.733 0.753 0.774 0.794 0.790 0.770 0.767 0.764 0.762 0.751
165 Djibouti 0.593 0.610 0.631 0.654 0.697 0.745 0.754 0.764 0.773 0.782
166 Rwanda 0.995 0.982 0.971 0.963 0.991 1.014 1.015 1.015 1.015 1.019
167 Benin 0.652 0.641 0.639 0.691 0.785 0.840 0.843 0.845 0.847 0.866
168 Gambia 0.826 0.816 0.821 0.824 0.823 0.824 0.825 0.826 0.829 0.828
169 Sudan* 0.364 0.358 0.348 0.362 0.384 0.404 0.407 0.412 0.418 0.417
170 Côte d'Ivoire 0.457 0.466 0.495 0.551 0.599 0.607 0.610 0.613 0.617 0.619
171 Malawi 0.949 0.949 0.952 0.959 0.959 0.950 0.951 0.953 0.955 0.951
172 Afghanistan 0.408 0.396 0.386 0.376 0.371 0.379 0.382 0.386 0.390 0.392
173 Zimbabwe 0.821 0.840 0.841 0.842 0.816 0.811 0.813 0.814 0.814 0.808
174 Ethiopia 0.798 0.803 0.796 0.790 0.801 0.861 0.863 0.865 0.867 0.894
175 Mali 0.566 0.563 0.542 0.525 0.526 0.543 0.545 0.547 0.548 0.562
176 Guinea-Bissau 0.717 0.677 0.727 0.732 0.718 0.712 0.711 0.711 0.712 0.711
177 Eritrea 0.627 0.621 0.654 0.637 0.669 0.714 0.719 0.721 0.722 0.750
178 Guinea 0.887 0.881 0.876 0.876 0.879 0.883 0.884 0.885 0.885 0.888
179 Central African Republic 0.803 0.801 0.793 0.803 0.811 0.819 0.820 0.822 0.825 0.825
180 Sierra Leone 0.967 0.961 0.967 0.988 1.000 0.984 0.980 0.975 0.971 0.970
181 Burkina Faso 0.837 0.826 0.847 0.852 0.853 0.860 0.859 0.857 0.855 0.861
182 Liberia 0.854 0.856 0.837 0.845 0.858 0.869 0.872 0.875 0.878 0.879
183 Chad 0.833 0.807 0.799 0.802 0.806 0.798 0.799 0.801 0.803 0.802
184 Mozambique 0.975 0.972 0.966 0.977 0.984 0.978 0.977 0.977 0.977 0.976
185 Burundi 1.015 1.015 1.005 0.999 1.005 1.029 1.032 1.035 1.036 1.040
186 Niger 0.274 0.282 0.298 0.363 0.433 0.444 0.439 0.435 0.427 0.444
187 Congo (Democratic Republic of the) 0.647 0.635 0.625 0.632 0.645 0.650 0.652 0.655 0.658 0.661
.. Tuvalu .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
.. Somalia 0.649 0.673 0.691 0.708 0.690 0.675 0.673 0.670 0.668 0.667
.. San Marino .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
.. Nauru .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
.. Monaco .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
.. Marshall Islands .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
.. Korea (Democratic People's Rep. of) 0.688 0.686 0.691 0.686 0.693 0.701 0.703 0.706 0.709 0.711
Footnotes
Symbols
.. Data not available
(.) Greater (or less) than zero but small enough to be rounded off to zero at the displayed number of decimal points
< Less than
- Not applicable
T Total

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2011 Report