Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 8.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, total (% of total 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 8.3% for unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in 2025.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 25.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 13.7% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 8.1%, in 2023.
Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 54th 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, total (% of total labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 11.1% | — |
| 1992 | 10.7% | -4.0% |
| 1993 | 10.6% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 10.5% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 9.9% | -5.3% |
| 1996 | 9.1% | -8.1% |
| 1997 | 9.7% | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 10.4% | +7.0% |
| 1999 | 11.2% | +7.9% |
| 2000 | 11.7% | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 12.4% | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 12.8% | +3.5% |
| 2003 | 11.5% | -9.9% |
| 2004 | 10.3% | -10.7% |
| 2005 | 11.8% | +14.7% |
| 2006 | 11.5% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 10.8% | -6.5% |
| 2008 | 10.6% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 12.1% | +14.0% |
| 2010 | 13.7% | +12.9% |
| 2011 | 12.5% | -8.7% |
| 2012 | 12.3% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 10.6% | -13.7% |
| 2014 | 10.7% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 11.2% | +4.6% |
| 2016 | 12.6% | +13.0% |
| 2017 | 12.2% | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 12.2% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 10.7% | -11.9% |
| 2020 | 9.7% | -9.8% |
| 2021 | 9.3% | -4.2% |
| 2022 | 9.1% | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 8.1% | -10.5% |
| 2024 | 8.1% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 8.3% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.3% | 9.1% | 11.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.6% | 10.3% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.9% | 10.6% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.8% | 8.1% | 9.7% | 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, total (% of total labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 8.3% 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 Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 13.7% in 2010.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.1% in 2023.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 54th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.7%. 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, 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.