Labor force, female in Australia
Australia: Labor force, female was 47.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, female in Australia, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
Australia recorded 47.7% for labor force, female in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, female in Australia peaked at 47.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 41.4%, in 1990.
That places Australia 45th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force, female in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 41.4% | — |
| 1991 | 41.6% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 41.8% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 41.9% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 42.3% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 42.7% | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 42.9% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 43.0% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 43.2% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 43.4% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 43.8% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 44.2% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 44.3% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 44.6% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 44.5% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 44.9% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 45.0% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 45.1% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 45.2% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 45.4% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 45.3% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 45.5% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 45.6% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 45.7% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 45.9% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 46.1% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 46.4% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 46.6% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 46.8% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 46.9% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 47.0% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 47.2% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 47.5% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 47.4% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 47.7% | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 47.7% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.4% | 41.4% | 43.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.7% | 43.8% | 45.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.1% | 45.3% | 46.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.4% | 47.0% | 47.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 42 Solomon Islands 48.0% compare
- 43 United Kingdom 47.8% compare
- 44 Guinea-Bissau 47.7% compare
- 46 Eritrea 47.7% compare
- 47 Papua New Guinea 47.7% compare
- 48 Ghana 47.6% compare
More education data for Australia
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,024 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0494 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 105,469 (1999)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, female in Australia?
- Labor force, female in Australia was 47.7% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, female recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 47.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.4% in 1990.
- How does Australia rank for labor force, female?
- Australia ranks 45th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, female rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, female (% of total labor force). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Female labor force as a percentage of the total show the extent to which women are active in the labor force. Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.