Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 3.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Hong Kong, China, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Hong Kong, China stood at 3.3%.
The figure is down 7.9% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Hong Kong, China peaked at 9.2% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 1991.
That places Hong Kong, China 133rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Hong Kong, China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.9% | — |
| 1992 | 2.0% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 2.0% | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 3.4% | +68.1% |
| 1996 | 3.1% | -8.3% |
| 1997 | 2.3% | -25.7% |
| 1998 | 5.0% | +114.1% |
| 1999 | 7.1% | +42.6% |
| 2000 | 5.6% | -21.2% |
| 2001 | 6.0% | +7.9% |
| 2002 | 8.4% | +39.0% |
| 2003 | 9.2% | +9.8% |
| 2004 | 7.7% | -16.1% |
| 2005 | 6.5% | -15.0% |
| 2006 | 5.6% | -13.6% |
| 2007 | 4.6% | -19.3% |
| 2008 | 4.1% | -10.7% |
| 2009 | 6.1% | +49.7% |
| 2010 | 5.1% | -16.8% |
| 2011 | 4.0% | -21.1% |
| 2012 | 3.8% | -5.5% |
| 2013 | 3.8% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 3.6% | -6.2% |
| 2015 | 3.4% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | +7.4% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | -8.4% |
| 2018 | 3.2% | -5.9% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | +11.2% |
| 2020 | 6.9% | +94.6% |
| 2021 | 6.1% | -10.8% |
| 2022 | 5.1% | -16.6% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | -31.9% |
| 2024 | 3.6% | +4.1% |
| 2025 | 3.3% | -7.9% |
Hong Kong, China compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong, China's 3.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.9%, 68% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong, China's 3.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.3%, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Hong Kong, China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +114.1% | 2.3% | 5.0% |
| 2020 | +94.6% | 3.5% | 6.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.2% | 1.9% | 7.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.4% | 4.1% | 9.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.7% | 3.2% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 3.3% | 6.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong, China
- 130 Comoros 3.4% compare
- 131 Indonesia 3.4% compare
- 132 Guinea-Bissau 3.4% compare
- 134 Kyrgyzstan 3.2% compare
- 135 Dominican Republic 3.2% compare
- 136 Cameroon 3.2% compare
More education data for Hong Kong, China
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 31,678 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,605 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 72,557 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 65,737 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 340,877 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 329,780 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.3 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0438 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Hong Kong, China?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Hong Kong, China was 3.3% 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 Hong Kong, China?
- The highest recorded value was 9.2% in 2003.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 1991.
- How does Hong Kong, China rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Hong Kong, China ranks 133rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Hong Kong, China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hong Kong, China 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.