West Bank and Gaza: Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, West Bank and Gaza's labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate) rose 1.39 percentage points on 2021 (from 17.55% to 18.93%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +0.21 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.94 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.44 percentage points in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.36 percentage points in 2001. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.18 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 34% 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 West Bank and Gaza in the 2022 ranking

• Sudan — 2nd of 2: 14.45%

What this measures

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 33 values

Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 5.09% (2025)
• Algeria — 14.14% (2025)
• Bahrain — 42.29% (2025)
• Djibouti — 19.37% (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 18.46% (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 14.01% (2025)
• Iraq — 10.94% (2025)

More social protection & labor data for West Bank and Gaza

• Net migration — -23,156 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 48,323 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 10.88% (2022)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 51.15% (2022)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 30.81% (2022)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 20.13% (2022)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is West Bank and Gaza's labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate)?

18.93% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 7.62 percentage points from 11.32% in 1990. The highest value was 18.93% in 2022 and the lowest 10.04% in 2001.

Is the latest change in labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate) unusual for West Bank and Gaza?

In 2022, West Bank and Gaza's labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate) rose 1.39 percentage points on 2021 (from 17.55% to 18.93%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +0.21 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.94 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: January 17, 2026 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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