The activity rate of women in rural areas is 20 percentage points lower than that of women in urban areas.

Error detected

The claim states a 20 percentage point difference between rural and urban women's activity rates, but Eurostat data shows the actual gap is approximately 0.5 percentage points for employment rates in 2023.

Omissions

• The claim may be confusing the gender gap with the urban-rural gap. In 2023, the gap between male and female activity rates in rural areas was about 10.4 percentage points, not the gap between rural and urban women.
• The data cited comes from a 2023 Eurostat publication, but the session took place in April 2026. More recent data may exist from 2024 or early 2025.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat - Urban-rural Europe: women and men living in rural areasIn 2023, the EU employment rate for women aged 20-64 years living in rural areas was 69.7%. This figure was 0.5 percentage points lower than the employment rate for women living in cities (approximately 70.2%).
• PrimaryEurostat - Urban-rural Europe: labour marketIn 2023, there was a 10.4 percentage points difference between activity rates of working-age men and women in the EU (with higher rates for men).