Afghanistan vs Upper middle income: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)
Afghanistan
13.4%
in 2025
Upper middle income
5.2%
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
21st
Upper middle income rank
19th
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) over time
- Afghanistan
- Upper middle income
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 13.4% against 5.2% in Upper middle income, a difference of 8.2%.
That makes Afghanistan's figure about 2.6 times Upper middle income's.
Across all 35 years both countries report, Afghanistan has been ahead every year.
Afghanistan ranks 21st and Upper middle income ranks 19th of 187 countries.
Afghanistan has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | Upper middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.9% | 4.7% | 3.2% | Afghanistan |
| 2000s | 7.9% | 5.9% | 2.0% | Afghanistan |
| 2010s | 9.2% | 5.6% | 3.6% | Afghanistan |
| 2020s | 13.1% | 5.7% | 7.4% | Afghanistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher unemployment, total (% of total labor force), Afghanistan or Upper middle income?
- Afghanistan, at 13.4% against 5.2% in Upper middle income as of 2025.
- What is the difference in unemployment, total (% of total labor force) between Afghanistan and Upper middle income?
- 8.2%, with Afghanistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and Upper middle income?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2025.
- How do Afghanistan and Upper middle income rank globally for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Afghanistan ranks 21st and Upper middle income ranks 19th 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.