Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Arab World
Arab World: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 9.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Arab World, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Arab World stood at 9.2%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Arab World peaked at 13.5% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 9.2%, in 2025.
Arab World ranks 1st of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Arab World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 11.9% | — |
| 1992 | 12.2% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 12.9% | +6.2% |
| 1994 | 13.0% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 13.5% | +3.8% |
| 1996 | 12.5% | -7.7% |
| 1997 | 12.0% | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 12.0% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 12.1% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 12.6% | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 12.5% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 12.5% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 12.4% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 11.4% | -8.2% |
| 2005 | 11.2% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 10.5% | -6.4% |
| 2007 | 10.1% | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 9.9% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 9.5% | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 9.6% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 10.7% | +11.7% |
| 2012 | 11.1% | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 11.0% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 11.0% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 11.2% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 10.9% | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 11.1% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 10.7% | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 10.2% | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 11.3% | +10.6% |
| 2021 | 10.9% | -3.8% |
| 2022 | 9.7% | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 9.3% | -4.4% |
| 2024 | 9.3% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 9.2% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.4% | 11.9% | 13.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.3% | 9.5% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.7% | 9.6% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.9% | 9.2% | 11.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
More education data for Arab World
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 40.79 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1129 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.7891 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 55.62 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2.58 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 32.0% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Arab World?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Arab World was 9.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 13.5% in 1995.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.2% in 2025.
- How does Arab World rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Arab World ranks 1st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Arab World data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, total (% of total 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.