Macao SAR, China: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2016, Macao SAR, China's ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) rose 0.95 percentage points on 2015 (from 85.43% to 86.38%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2015), the average change was +0.57 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.29 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.48 percentage points in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.02 percentage points in 1992. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2007 to 2016 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.32 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 55% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Macao SAR, China in the 2016 ranking

• Isle of Man — 1st of 4: 90.84%
• Suriname — 3rd of 4: 67.33%
• Kuwait — 4th of 4: 56.8%

What this measures

Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate is the proportion of female labor force participation relative to male labor force participation. The labor force participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the population ages 15 and older. The labor force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed.

Limitations: Data on the labor force are compiled by the ILO from labor force surveys, censuses, and establishment censuses and surveys. For some countries a combination of these sources is used. Labor force surveys are the most comprehensive source for internationally comparable labor force data. They can cover all non-institutionalized civilians, all branches and sectors of the economy, and all categories of workers, including people holding multiple jobs. By contrast, labor force data from population censuses are often based on a limited number of questions on the economic characteristics of individuals, with little scope to probe.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 27 values

Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Australia — 89.35% (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 76.51% (2025)
• Cambodia — 87.07% (2025)
• Fiji — 53.09% (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 84.55% (2025)
• Indonesia — 64.96% (2023)
• Japan — 78.66% (2025)
• Korea, Rep. — 78.79% (2025)

More social protection & labor data for Macao SAR, China

• Net migration — -328 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 43.12% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 45.29% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 44.14% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 73.89% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 85.29% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)

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Questions people ask

What is Macao SAR, China's ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate)?

86.38% in 2016, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 57.12 percentage points from 29.26% in 1960. The highest value was 86.43% in 2011 and the lowest 29.26% in 1960.

Is the latest change in ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) unusual for Macao SAR, China?

In 2016, Macao SAR, China's ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) rose 0.95 percentage points on 2015 (from 85.43% to 86.38%). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2015), the average change was +0.57 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.29 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.CACT.FM.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: estimates based on external database; Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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