Ranking of European countries according to the female employment rate

The female employment rate is gradually advancing across the countries of the European Union (EU). In 2017, the European average reached 66.5%. However, this figure remains notably below the 78.0% average for male employment in 2017.

In EU countries, large differences are observed between female employment rates: in eleven countries they exceed 70%, while in others they only reach around 50%.

Sweden is the most advanced country in female labor participation with a rate of almost 80%. Following are Lithuania, Germany, and Estonia with figures above 75%. Denmark and the United Kingdom share rates above 73%, while the Netherlands, Latvia, and Finland exceed 72%.

Austria stands at 71.4%, while the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Slovenia have rates close to 70%. Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Ireland, and France are also among the seventeen countries with female employment rates above the average.

Below the average are a series of recently acceded countries, but also Spain. Although the Spanish rate has been increasing in recent years and has exceeded 59% for the first time, we are still almost seven points below the EU average and far from the leading countries.

Incentivizing greater labor participation of women is still an pending issue in Spain, as the International Monetary Fund recently reminded.

(Source: Own elaboration based on data on "Employment rates of people aged 20 to 64 in the EU", from Eurostat)

Published by the Institute of Economic Studies.