Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 7.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern is 7.0%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 8.1% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 6.4%, in 2014.
That places Africa Eastern and Southern 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.0% | — |
| 1992 | 8.1% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 8.1% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 8.0% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 7.6% | -4.2% |
| 1996 | 7.5% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 7.4% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 7.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 7.4% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 7.3% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 7.2% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 7.1% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 7.0% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 6.8% | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 6.6% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 6.5% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 6.4% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 6.4% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 6.5% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 6.7% | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 6.7% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 6.5% | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 6.4% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 6.4% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 6.4% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 6.6% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 6.7% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 6.8% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 7.0% | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 7.5% | +6.9% |
| 2021 | 7.8% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 7.2% | -7.3% |
| 2023 | 7.0% | -2.4% |
| 2024 | 7.0% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 7.0% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.7% | 7.3% | 8.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.8% | 6.4% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.6% | 6.4% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.2% | 7.0% | 7.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More education data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Population ages 0-14 40.0% (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 121.03 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.02 % 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 0.1573 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.06 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 56.6% (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 46.07 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern was 7.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 8.1% in 1993.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.4% in 2014.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, male (% of male 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.