Based on a Reuters report, the International Labor Organization has announced that women’s share of the Afghan labor market has decreased to about 5 percent five years after the Islamic Emirate regained sovereignty.
According to the organization’s announcement, female labor force participation has declined from 16.5 percent in 2020 to 5.1 percent in 2026, while male employment has increased.
The International Labor Organization has identified restrictions on women’s education and employment as the main factors reducing their participation in economic activities, and has said that Afghanistan has the second lowest female employment rate in the world after Yemen.
However, the United Nations Development Program says that the number of businesses owned by women has increased tenfold since the Islamic Emirate took over due to restrictions on their presence in many other occupations.
According to this report, the total number of employed people in Afghanistan has increased by 14 percent from the lowest level in 2022 to about 8.5 million in 2026; however, this increase has not kept pace with the rapid population growth and the large-scale return of Afghans from neighboring countries.
