Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Arab World
Arab World: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 7.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Arab World, 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 Arab World is 7.5%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Arab World peaked at 12.2% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 2010.
Arab World ranks 4th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Arab World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.7% | — |
| 1992 | 11.3% | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 11.8% | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 11.7% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 12.2% | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 11.3% | -7.0% |
| 1997 | 10.7% | -5.5% |
| 1998 | 10.7% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 10.9% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 11.1% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 11.0% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 10.9% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 10.9% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 9.5% | -12.4% |
| 2005 | 9.4% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 8.6% | -8.2% |
| 2007 | 8.4% | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 8.1% | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 7.2% | -10.9% |
| 2010 | 7.2% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 8.4% | +15.9% |
| 2012 | 8.7% | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 8.7% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 8.7% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 8.7% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 8.4% | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 8.7% | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 8.4% | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 8.0% | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 9.3% | +17.0% |
| 2021 | 9.0% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 8.0% | -11.8% |
| 2023 | 7.6% | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 7.6% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 7.5% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.3% | 10.7% | 12.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.5% | 7.2% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.4% | 7.2% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.2% | 7.5% | 9.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
- 1 Eswatini 32.5% compare
- 2 South Africa 31.0% compare
- 3 Djibouti 21.8% compare
- 4 Botswana 21.5% compare
- 5 Palestine, State of 20.2% compare
- 6 Namibia 20.1% compare
- 7 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 19.5% compare
More education data for Arab World
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2.58 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 40.79 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 55.62 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.7891 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1129 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 32.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Arab World?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Arab World was 7.5% 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 Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 12.2% in 1995.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 2010.
- How does Arab World rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Arab World ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Arab World 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.