European Union: Labour force participation rate, women
Women aged 15 and over who are economically active, as a percentage of the female population aged 15 and over. ILO modelled estimate.
Official statisticSource figures as of October 8, 2026Sources & methods
- Sources
- World Bank
- Period covered
- 1990 – 2025
- Source figures as of
- October 8, 2026
- Geography
- European Union
- Sector
- Whole economy (not a single sector)
- Seasonal adjustment
- Not applicable
- Transformations
- Views other than the level (changes, averages, volatility) are calculated by CK Economics from these figures
- Revisions
- Replaced with the source’s latest figures whenever it revises them.
- Data status
- Current
Key figures
CK estimate% of female population aged 15+ · calculated by CK Economics from World Bank data
- Latest · 2025
- 51.6
- −0.3 pp vs a year earlier1
- 5-year change
- +1.3 pp
- since 20202
- 10-year change
- +1.3 pp
- since 20152
- Record high
- 52
- 20233
- Record low
- 44.6
- 19903
- Where the latest ranks
- 94th pct.
- Higher than 94% of the other 35 observations since 19904
- 1Latest observation against the observation one year earlier (for weekly data, the nearest within three days).
- 2Latest observation against the observation five and ten years earlier.
- 3Highest and lowest published observations across the full history shown.
- 4Share of the other published observations that are lower than the latest one, rounded down.
Methodology
Women aged 15 and over who are economically active, as a percentage of the female population aged 15 and over. ILO modelled estimate. Compiled by the World Bank from national statistical offices and international agencies; some series (labour force participation) are ILO modelled estimates. Source series SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators (WDI 2026-10-08). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS?locations=EUU
All data
36 observations, newest first · % of female population aged 15+
| Period | Value | Change y/y |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 51.6 | −0.26 pp |
| 2024 | 51.9 | −0.1 pp |
| 2023 | 52 | +0.4 pp |
| 2022 | 51.6 | +0.58 pp |
| 2021 | 51 | +0.69 pp |
| 2020 | 50.3 | −0.66 pp |
| 2019 | 51 | +0.15 pp |
| 2018 | 50.8 | +0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 50.7 | +0.24 pp |
| 2016 | 50.5 | +0.18 pp |
| 2015 | 50.3 | +0.06 pp |
| 2014 | 50.2 | +0.13 pp |
| 2013 | 50.1 | +0.13 pp |
| 2012 | 50 | +0.4 pp |
| 2011 | 49.6 | +0.24 pp |
| 2010 | 49.3 | +0.3 pp |
| 2009 | 49 | +0.08 pp |
| 2008 | 48.9 | +0.32 pp |
| 2007 | 48.6 | +0.26 pp |
| 2006 | 48.4 | +0.42 pp |
| 2005 | 47.9 | +0.42 pp |
| 2004 | 47.5 | +0.24 pp |
| 2003 | 47.3 | +0.46 pp |
| 2002 | 46.8 | +0.38 pp |