Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Kuwait
Kuwait: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 1.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Kuwait, 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 Kuwait is 1.0%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 5.9% on the previous year and down 22.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Kuwait peaked at 1.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1994.
Kuwait ranks 181st 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 Kuwait, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 0.5% | — |
| 1992 | 0.5% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 0.5% | -11.3% |
| 1994 | 0.4% | -13.4% |
| 1995 | 0.4% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 0.4% | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.4% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | +13.8% |
| 2001 | 0.5% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | +36.0% |
| 2003 | 0.8% | +17.0% |
| 2004 | 1.0% | +28.8% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | -15.6% |
| 2006 | 0.8% | -10.8% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +24.8% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | +10.2% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | -4.8% |
| 2010 | 1.4% | +41.4% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 1.5% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | +13.2% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | -27.0% |
| 2016 | 0.9% | -28.6% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | +84.8% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -18.6% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | -38.4% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 0.9% | +5.4% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | +5.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
More education data for Kuwait
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 47,443 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 11 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 30,349 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 29,489 (2021)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 302,047 (2015)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 265,113 (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -4.44 % change on previous year (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0608 units per person (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Kuwait?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Kuwait was 1.0% 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 Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 1.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1994.
- How does Kuwait rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Kuwait ranks 181st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kuwait 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.