Afghanistan vs OECD members: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)
Afghanistan
13.4%
in 2025
OECD members
4.9%
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
21st
OECD members rank
22nd
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) over time
- Afghanistan
- OECD members
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 13.4% against 4.9% in OECD members, a difference of 8.5%.
That makes Afghanistan's figure about 2.7 times OECD members's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 35 shared years of data; in 1991 it was Afghanistan ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 21st and OECD members ranks 22nd of 187 countries.
Afghanistan has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | OECD members | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.9% | 7.4% | 0.5% | Afghanistan |
| 2000s | 7.9% | 6.9% | 1.0% | Afghanistan |
| 2010s | 9.2% | 7.0% | 2.2% | Afghanistan |
| 2020s | 13.1% | 5.5% | 7.6% | Afghanistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher unemployment, total (% of total labor force), Afghanistan or OECD members?
- Afghanistan, at 13.4% against 4.9% in OECD members as of 2025.
- What is the difference in unemployment, total (% of total labor force) between Afghanistan and OECD members?
- 8.5%, with Afghanistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and OECD members?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2025.
- How do Afghanistan and OECD members rank globally for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Afghanistan ranks 21st and OECD members ranks 22nd of 187 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.