Labor force, female in Nepal
Nepal: Labor force, female was 37.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, female in Nepal, 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 Nepal is 37.6%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, female in Nepal peaked at 37.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 24.6%, in 1990.
That places Nepal 148th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force, female in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 24.6% | — |
| 1991 | 24.6% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 24.7% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 24.8% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 24.8% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 24.8% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 24.9% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 25.0% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 25.2% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 25.5% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 25.8% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 26.1% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 26.5% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 26.9% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 27.3% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 27.8% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 28.4% | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 29.0% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 29.7% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 30.5% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 31.4% | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 32.3% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 33.2% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 34.1% | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 34.9% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 35.7% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 36.4% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 36.9% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 37.4% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 37.1% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 36.8% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 36.6% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 36.7% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 37.0% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 37.3% | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 37.6% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.9% | 24.6% | 25.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.8% | 25.8% | 30.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.0% | 31.4% | 37.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.0% | 36.6% | 37.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More education data for Nepal
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,023 tertiary education (2024)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 157,456 (2025)
- 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 65.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 28.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 10 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, female in Nepal?
- Labor force, female in Nepal was 37.6% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, female recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 37.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.6% in 1990.
- How does Nepal rank for labor force, female?
- Nepal ranks 148th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, female rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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.