Labor force, female (% of total labor force) in Eswatini
Eswatini: Labor force, female (% of total labor force) was 48.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, female in Eswatini, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force, female in Eswatini is 48.8%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, female in Eswatini peaked at 48.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 42.1%, in 1995.
That places Eswatini 24th out of 187 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 (% of total labor force) in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 42.3% | — |
| 1991 | 42.4% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 42.6% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 42.6% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 42.3% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 42.1% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 42.3% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 42.6% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 43.0% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 43.5% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 44.0% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 44.5% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 45.0% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 45.4% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 45.8% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 46.2% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 46.5% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 46.8% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 47.0% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 47.2% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 47.3% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 47.4% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 47.5% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 47.5% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 47.6% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 47.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 47.7% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 47.9% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 48.2% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 48.4% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 48.3% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 48.6% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 48.2% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 48.5% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 48.7% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 48.8% | +0.2% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 48.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 43.6%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 48.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 47.5%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.6% | 42.1% | 43.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.8% | 44.0% | 47.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.7% | 47.3% | 48.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.5% | 48.2% | 48.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More education data for Eswatini
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7,225 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,165 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 12,768 (2015)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 11,269 (2015)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 108,288 (2016)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 222,351 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.236 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1807 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, female in Eswatini?
- Labor force, female in Eswatini was 48.8% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, female recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 48.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.1% in 1995.
- How does Eswatini rank for labor force, female?
- Eswatini ranks 24th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, female rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eswatini 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.