Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Bhutan
Bhutan: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 2.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Bhutan, 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 Bhutan is 2.6%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 2.7% on the previous year and up 38.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Bhutan peaked at 4.5% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2001.
Bhutan ranks 154th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.4% | — |
| 1992 | 1.4% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 1.4% | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 1.4% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 1.4% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | -11.7% |
| 2000 | 1.2% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 1.2% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 1.3% | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 1.3% | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 1.9% | +46.0% |
| 2005 | 2.9% | +54.9% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | -10.1% |
| 2007 | 2.9% | +10.1% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 2.0% | -27.6% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | +17.4% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | -11.7% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -3.8% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | +12.6% |
| 2017 | 2.4% | +13.8% |
| 2018 | 2.7% | +12.2% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | -16.9% |
| 2020 | 4.2% | +85.2% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | -12.0% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | +22.0% |
| 2023 | 2.4% | -47.6% |
| 2024 | 2.7% | +14.1% |
| 2025 | 2.6% | -2.7% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 2.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.3%, 62% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 2.6% is below the median for South Asia, which is 4.0%, 65% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Bhutan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +85.2% | 2.3% | 4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.2% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.4% | 2.4% | 4.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More education data for Bhutan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 6,995 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,961 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 6,905 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 6,735 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 67,821 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91,759 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1159 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Bhutan?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Bhutan was 2.6% 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 4.5% in 2022.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2001.
- How does Bhutan rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Bhutan ranks 154th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan 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.