Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 4.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income is 4.9%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income peaked at 6.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 1991.
Low & middle income ranks 24th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.6% | — |
| 1992 | 4.7% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 4.9% | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 5.1% | +5.1% |
| 1995 | 5.4% | +4.6% |
| 1996 | 5.5% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 5.5% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 5.7% | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 5.9% | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 5.9% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 6.0% | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 6.2% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 6.3% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 6.1% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 6.1% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 5.9% | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 5.8% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 5.8% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 6.0% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 5.8% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 5.7% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 5.7% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 5.7% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 5.7% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 5.9% | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 5.9% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 6.0% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 5.9% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 5.8% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 6.6% | +14.2% |
| 2021 | 6.2% | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | -12.2% |
| 2023 | 5.0% | -8.1% |
| 2024 | 4.9% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 4.9% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.3% | 4.6% | 5.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.0% | 5.8% | 6.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.8% | 5.7% | 6.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 4.9% | 6.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
- 21 Afghanistan 13.4% compare
- 22 Armenia 12.9% compare
- 23 South Sudan 12.4% compare
- 24 North Macedonia 12.3% compare
- 25 Georgia 12.1% compare
- 26 Guyana 12.0% compare
- 27 Cape Verde 11.9% compare
More education data for Low & middle income
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 27.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1043 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 701.53 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 26.3% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 554.22 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 65.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income was 4.9% 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 Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 6.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 1991.
- How does Low & middle income rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Low & middle income ranks 24th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Low & middle income 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.