Zimbabwe: Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate)

Key figures

Since 1982 it is up 17.72 percentage points from 48.08% in 1982. The World Bank has no value for 30 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

How it compares

In 2025, Zimbabwe had the 11th highest value of the 83 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Zimbabwe in the 2025 ranking

• Ghana — 8th of 83: 69.55%
• New Zealand — 9th of 83: 66.53%
• Belarus — 10th of 83: 66.15%
• Sweden — 12th of 83: 64.57%
• Netherlands — 13th of 83: 64.38%
• Peru — 14th of 83: 63.71%

What this measures

Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.

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 14 values

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

• Angola — 73.61% (2025)
• Benin — 74.72% (2022)
• Botswana — 65.19% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 61.86% (2025)
• Burundi — 78.25% (2020)
• Cameroon — 57.67% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 59.58% (2022)
• Ghana

More social protection & labor data for Zimbabwe

• Net migration — -54,555 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 6,632 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 8,570 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 43.06% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 53.32% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 48.17% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 62.93% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)

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Questions people ask

What is Zimbabwe's labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate)?

65.8% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1982?

It is up 17.72 percentage points from 48.08% in 1982. The highest value was 80.25% in 2014 and the lowest 48.08% in 1982.

How does Zimbabwe rank?

11th highest of 83 economies with data for 2025.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.CACT.FE.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: external database, date accessed: September 28, 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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