Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in World
World: Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) was 4.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in World, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
World recorded 4.9% for unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in World peaked at 6.6% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 2025.
World ranks 29th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.1% | — |
| 1992 | 5.2% | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 5.5% | +5.3% |
| 1994 | 5.8% | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 6.0% | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 6.1% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 6.2% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 6.3% | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 6.5% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 6.3% | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 6.3% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 6.5% | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 6.6% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 6.6% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 6.2% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 5.9% | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 5.9% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 6.4% | +8.7% |
| 2010 | 6.3% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 6.2% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 6.2% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 6.1% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 6.0% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 6.0% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 6.0% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 5.9% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 5.8% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 5.6% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 6.5% | +16.0% |
| 2021 | 6.1% | -6.2% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | -11.5% |
| 2023 | 5.0% | -7.4% |
| 2024 | 5.0% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 4.9% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.9% | 5.1% | 6.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.3% | 5.9% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.0% | 5.6% | 6.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 4.9% | 6.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near World
- 26 Montenegro 14.2% compare
- 27 Sudan 14.0% compare
- 28 Armenia 13.8% compare
- 29 South Sudan 13.6% compare
- 30 Belize 13.5% compare
- 31 Guyana 13.4% compare
- 32 Bosnia and Herzegovina 13.3% compare
More education data for World
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 651.68 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 780.85 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0959 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 34.10 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 65.2% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in World?
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in World was 4.9% 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 6.6% in 2003.
- What is the lowest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 2025.
- How does World rank for unemployment, female (% of female labor force)?
- World ranks 29th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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.