Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 6.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 6.7%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 8.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.5%, in 2009.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 7th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.1% | — |
| 1992 | 7.4% | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 7.7% | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 7.7% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 7.9% | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 7.3% | -7.3% |
| 1997 | 7.0% | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 7.1% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 7.3% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 7.5% | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 7.4% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 7.4% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 7.3% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 6.4% | -12.1% |
| 2005 | 6.5% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 6.1% | -6.3% |
| 2007 | 5.8% | -5.1% |
| 2008 | 5.6% | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 5.5% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 5.6% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 6.1% | +7.7% |
| 2012 | 7.1% | +17.6% |
| 2013 | 6.6% | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 6.4% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 6.8% | +7.1% |
| 2016 | 6.6% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 7.1% | +6.7% |
| 2018 | 7.2% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 6.9% | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 8.0% | +15.2% |
| 2021 | 7.7% | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 7.1% | -8.0% |
| 2023 | 6.7% | -6.0% |
| 2024 | 6.7% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 6.7% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.4% | 7.0% | 7.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.6% | 5.5% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.6% | 5.6% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.2% | 6.7% | 8.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More education data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.29 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.113 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 31.7% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.1% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 68.09 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 91.90 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 6.7% 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 8.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.5% in 2009.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 7th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.