Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 6.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Iran, Islamic Republic of recorded 6.8% for unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and down 27.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 12.2% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 6.7%, in 2023.
Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 58th of 187 countries 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, male (% of male labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 9.6% | — |
| 1992 | 9.3% | -2.9% |
| 1993 | 9.4% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 9.4% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 9.1% | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 8.5% | -6.3% |
| 1997 | 8.9% | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 9.4% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 10.0% | +6.4% |
| 2000 | 10.3% | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 10.7% | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 10.9% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 9.9% | -9.5% |
| 2004 | 8.9% | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 10.4% | +16.1% |
| 2006 | 10.3% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 9.5% | -7.4% |
| 2008 | 9.3% | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 11.0% | +18.4% |
| 2010 | 12.2% | +10.2% |
| 2011 | 10.8% | -11.3% |
| 2012 | 10.7% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 8.8% | -17.3% |
| 2014 | 9.0% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 9.5% | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 10.7% | +13.7% |
| 2017 | 10.4% | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 10.6% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 9.1% | -13.4% |
| 2020 | 8.5% | -7.0% |
| 2021 | 8.0% | -5.8% |
| 2022 | 7.8% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 6.7% | -13.3% |
| 2024 | 6.7% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 6.8% | +1.4% |
Iran, Islamic Republic of compared with similar countries
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 6.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.7%, 1.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 6.8% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 8.5%, 80% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.3% | 8.5% | 10.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 8.9% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.2% | 8.8% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.4% | 6.7% | 8.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
More education data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 406,399 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 108,066 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 519,698 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 505,053 (2020)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.62 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 9.09 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.31 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1003 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 6.8% 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 Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 12.2% in 2010.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.7% in 2023.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 58th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of 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
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About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.