Women’s Employment at Risk in the Arab States

Unequal exposure to the 2026 Middle East crisis and implications for policy in six countries

The 2026 Middle East crisis is generating an economic shock across the Arab States, with scenariobased estimates pointing to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) losses of up to USD 194 billion, 3.6 million jobs at risk, and up to 4 million additional people pushed into poverty (UNDP, 2026). Women are disproportionately exposed, including through employment patterns that are narrowly concentrated and structurally fragile (ESCWA and UN Women, 2026): across Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the State of Palestine and the Syrian Arab Republic, about 50 percent of employed women work in education, health, and public administration, while informality among women ranges from 40 to 71 percent of total employment (ILOSTAT, 2026), affecting women heavily—over two-thirds of female workers in Egypt, more than half in Lebanon, and nearly half in Jordan, Iraq and the State of Palestine work without formal contracts or social protection.