Nigeria Achieves Record Female Workforce Participation, Says WEF Report

Nigeria has reached its highest-ever level of female participation in the labour force, according to the latest 2025 Global Gender Gap Report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF). This significant progress highlights an encouraging trajectory for workforce parity in the country.

The WEF report indicates that female participation in Nigeria’s labour force surged to 95.6 percent, a notable increase from 89.9 percent recorded in the previous year. This substantial rise contributed to a 3.6-point improvement in Nigeria’s Economic Participation and Opportunity Score, marking a rare bright spot in the nation’s overall gender equality performance.

This development means that female participation in the workforce has grown to its highest recorded levels, with income parity also showing an increase from 50.1 percent to 60.4 percent as female income resumes an upward trend.

However, despite these gains in the labour market, Nigeria’s overall ranking in the Global Gender Gap Index fell by one position to 124th globally. This decline is primarily attributed to a diminishing political representation for women and widening disparities in educational attainment. The report noted a significant regression in political empowerment, with women’s representation in ministerial positions decreasing from 17.6 percent to 8.8 percent.

In terms of education, while literacy rates have generally improved for both men and women, the male literacy rate (73.7 percent) grew higher than that of women (53.3 percent), consequently increasing the gender disparity in this area.

The Global Gender Gap Index annually assesses the state of gender parity across four key dimensions: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. While Nigeria shows strong progress in economic inclusion, challenges in political and educational spheres continue to hinder its overall gender equality standing.

Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, emphasized the broader importance of these findings, stating that “Investments in parity can help countries build more resilient, prosperous, and productive economies.” The WEF’s report serves to empower decision-makers by measuring the current state of parity and identifying successful strategies for closing gender gaps.

Despite the positive strides in female workforce participation, the report suggests that full global gender equality may still be 123 years away, underscoring the need for continued and accelerated efforts across all dimensions.