Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Middle income
Middle income: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 4.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Middle income, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Middle income recorded 4.9% for unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in 2025.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Middle income peaked at 6.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 1991.
Middle income ranks 25th 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 Middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.6% | — |
| 1992 | 4.7% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 4.9% | +4.1% |
| 1994 | 5.2% | +5.5% |
| 1995 | 5.4% | +5.1% |
| 1996 | 5.5% | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 5.6% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 5.7% | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 5.9% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 5.9% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 6.1% | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 6.3% | +3.5% |
| 2003 | 6.3% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 6.2% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 6.2% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 6.0% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 5.9% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 5.9% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 6.1% | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 5.9% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 5.8% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 5.8% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 5.8% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 5.8% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 5.9% | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 6.0% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 6.1% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 6.0% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 5.9% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 6.7% | +14.3% |
| 2021 | 6.2% | -7.5% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | -12.4% |
| 2023 | 5.0% | -8.5% |
| 2024 | 4.9% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 4.9% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.3% | 4.6% | 5.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.1% | 5.9% | 6.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.9% | 5.8% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 4.9% | 6.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle income
- 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
- 28 French Polynesia 11.7% compare
More education data for Middle income
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0986 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 25.11 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 66.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.4% (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 510.99 million (2024)
- 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)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 589.09 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Middle income?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in 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 Middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 6.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 1991.
- How does Middle income rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Middle income ranks 25th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this 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.