Muscat: Gulf women continue to reinforce their role in the development process of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, supported by a young population base and growing participation in the labour market, alongside a pivotal role in the health, education, and tourism sectors. This reflects steady progress in the pathways to empowerment and sustainable development across the Council states. According to Oman News Agency, data released by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States indicate that the number of females in GCC countries increased by 15.8% between 2019 and 2024, reaching approximately 22.9 million females in 2024. The average annual increase in the female population stood at around 625,600. The number of young females (aged 15-39) reached about 13.8 million, accounting for 60.3% of the total female population, while females of working age (15-64) numbered approximately 15.9 million, representing 69.5% of all females. Regarding the participation of Gulf women in the labour market, the number of employed females in GCC countries rose from 5.7 million in 2020 to 7.3 million in 2025. The number of employed female nationals also increased from 1.7 million to 2.2 million over the same period. The female labour force participation rate in the GCC states reached 39.3% in 2025, while the rate of unemployed female job seekers stood at 10.5%. Furthermore, employed female nationals constituted 40.5% of the total national workforce. Indicators of women's participation showed improvement between 2020 and 2025: the female labour force participation rate increased by 8%, the unemployment rate among female job seekers declined by 26.1%, and the share of employed female nationals in the total national workforce rose by 11.0%. Additionally, the proportion of female employees in the government sector increased from 33.3% to 34.8%, and in the private sector from 4.3% to 5.3% over the same period. In the health and education sectors, Gulf women continue to play an active role in sup porting human development. Females accounted for approximately 73.6% of the nursing staff and 63.8% of general education teachers, while their share in higher education reached about 41.2%. In the tourism sector, the proportion of female employees in 2024 was approximately 13.2% of the total workforce in the sector. The average annual growth rate in the number of women employed in tourism between 2019 and 2024 stood at around 9.5%, reflecting the growing contribution of Gulf women to one of the most promising economic sectors in the GCC states.