Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Nepal
Nepal: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 10.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Nepal, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Nepal stood at 10.5%.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Nepal peaked at 13.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 2023.
That places Nepal 36th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Nepal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.5% | — |
| 1992 | 10.5% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 10.5% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 10.5% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 10.5% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 10.4% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 10.5% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 10.5% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 10.5% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 10.5% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 10.5% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 10.6% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 10.6% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 10.7% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 10.6% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 10.6% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 10.6% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 10.6% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 10.6% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 10.6% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 10.6% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 10.6% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10.7% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 10.6% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 10.6% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 10.7% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 10.7% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 10.6% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 10.5% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 13.0% | +24.4% |
| 2021 | 12.2% | -6.1% |
| 2022 | 10.7% | -12.9% |
| 2023 | 10.4% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 10.5% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 10.5% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.5% | 10.4% | 10.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 10.6% | 10.5% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.6% | 10.5% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.2% | 10.4% | 13.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More education data for Nepal
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 609,324 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.67 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1204 units per person (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 3.57 million (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 1.31 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Nepal?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Nepal was 10.5% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 13.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 2023.
- How does Nepal rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Nepal ranks 36th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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.