| Event: | Women's 48 kg |
| Games: | 2016 Summer |
| Venue: | Carioca Arena 2 |
| Date: | 6 August 2016 |
| Competitors: | 23 |
| Nations: | 23 |
| Gold: | Paula Pareto |
| Goldnoc: | ARG |
| Silver: | Jeong Bo-kyeong |
| Silvernoc: | KOR |
| Bronze: | Ami Kondo |
| Bronzenoc: | JPN |
| Bronzenoc2: | KAZ |
| Prev: | 2012 |
| Next: | 2020 |
The women's 48 kg competition in judo at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was held on 6 August at the Carioca Arena 2.
The gold and silver medals were determined by a single-elimination tournament, with the winner of the final taking gold and the loser receiving silver. Judo events awarded two bronze medals. Quarterfinal losers competed in a repechage match for the right to face a semifinal loser for a bronze medal (that is, the judokas defeated in quarterfinals A and B competed against each other, with the winner of that match facing the semifinal loser from the other half of the bracket).[1]
The medals for the competition were presented by Yumilka Ruiz, Cuba, member of the International Olympic Committee and the gifts were presented by Marius Vizer, president of the International Judo Federation.