Kabul (GNP): Women’s participation in Afghanistan’s labour force has fallen to just 5.1 percent under Taliban rule, placing the country among those with the lowest rates of female economic participation in the world, according to the International Labour Organisation.
The UN agency said women’s employment has declined dramatically since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, creating profound structural changes in Afghanistan’s labour market and deepening the country’s reliance on male workers.
Female labour force participation stood at 18.3 percent in 2019 under the former government, before falling sharply following the Taliban takeover.
By 2022, the rate had dropped to less than one-third of its 2020 level, a decline the ILO says now places Afghanistan among the countries with the second-lowest female labour force participation rate globally, reflecting what it described as the exceptional scale of women’s exclusion from economic activity.
The decline stands in sharp contrast to trends among male workers, with male employment in 2026 estimated to be around 22 percent higher than its 2020 level. Despite that growth on the male side, overall job creation has failed to keep pace with Afghanistan’s population growth, with the employment-to-population ratio now estimated at 32.5 percent, more than four percentage points below its 2020 level.
Ramin Behzad, head of the ILO office in Afghanistan, warned that the country cannot build a resilient labour market while excluding a large share of its population from economic activity. He said improving women’s access to productive employment, alongside creating opportunities for young people, returnees and other vulnerable workers, remains essential for strengthening livelihoods and supporting inclusive economic development across the country.
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Building on that assessment, the ILO urged the Taliban administration to make productive employment a policy priority while supporting private-sector development, small businesses and labour-intensive industries.
The agency’s recommendations come against the backdrop of extensive restrictions Afghan women have faced on employment, education and public life since the Taliban returned to power, restrictions that have significantly limited their ability to participate in the country’s formal economy.
Says Ramin Behzad, “A resilient labour market cannot be built while excluding a large proportion of the population from economic activity”
Managing Editor at Global News Pakistan (GNP), with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Riphah International University, graduated with a Gold Medal. Reach out at sabahtareengnp@gmail.com
