Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) was 4.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Ethiopia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Ethiopia stood at 4.5%.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and up 39.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Ethiopia peaked at 5.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2013.
Ethiopia ranks 111th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.4% | — |
| 1992 | 3.6% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 3.4% | -4.5% |
| 1994 | 3.3% | -4.4% |
| 1995 | 3.4% | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 3.7% | +9.4% |
| 1997 | 4.0% | +8.3% |
| 1998 | 4.5% | +12.2% |
| 1999 | 4.9% | +10.6% |
| 2000 | 4.6% | -5.9% |
| 2001 | 4.2% | -9.6% |
| 2002 | 4.0% | -3.7% |
| 2003 | 4.0% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 3.7% | -7.9% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | -10.2% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | -6.2% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 3.1% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 3.0% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 3.0% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 3.4% | +5.4% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | +4.9% |
| 2020 | 5.3% | +33.3% |
| 2021 | 5.3% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 4.7% | -11.1% |
| 2023 | 4.7% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 4.6% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 4.5% | -2.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.8% | 3.3% | 4.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.6% | 3.1% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.3% | 3.0% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.9% | 4.5% | 5.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 108 Puerto Rico 5.1% compare
- 109 Switzerland 5.0% compare
- 110 Guinea 5.0% compare
- 112 Ireland 4.5% compare
- 113 Mongolia 4.5% compare
- 114 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4.4% compare
More education data for Ethiopia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 272,545 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 900,151 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2.32 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2.16 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.03 million (2015)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.93 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.45 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1206 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Ethiopia?
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Ethiopia was 4.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2013.
- How does Ethiopia rank for unemployment, female (% of female labor force)?
- Ethiopia ranks 111th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.