Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Bhutan
Bhutan: Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) was 4.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Bhutan, 1998–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Bhutan recorded 4.5% for unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in 2025.
That represents a change of up 5.4% on the previous year and up 43.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Bhutan peaked at 7.9% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1998.
That places Bhutan 118th out of 181 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1.4% | — |
| 1999 | 1.6% | +14.3% |
| 2001 | 3.2% | +100.0% |
| 2004 | 3.3% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 3.8% | +15.4% |
| 2009 | 5.3% | +40.5% |
| 2010 | 4.0% | -25.2% |
| 2011 | 4.5% | +13.5% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -51.5% |
| 2013 | 3.7% | +68.2% |
| 2014 | 3.5% | -5.6% |
| 2015 | 3.1% | -9.8% |
| 2018 | 4.2% | +31.9% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | -21.4% |
| 2020 | 6.0% | +83.1% |
| 2021 | 6.1% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 7.9% | +31.0% |
| 2023 | 4.4% | -44.4% |
| 2024 | 4.3% | -2.7% |
| 2025 | 4.5% | +5.4% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 4.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.2%, 73% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 4.5% is above the median for South Asia, which is 4.5%, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 3.2% | 5.3% | 5 |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 2.2% | 4.5% | 8 |
| 2020s | 5.5% | 4.3% | 7.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More work & labour data for Bhutan
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7164 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6963 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7381 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.816 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9406 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 573.27 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 420.94 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 334.32 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 356.11 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 690.43 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Bhutan?
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Bhutan was 4.5% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 7.9% in 2022.
- What is the lowest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1998.
- How does Bhutan rank for unemployment, female (% of female labor force)?
- Bhutan ranks 118th out of 181 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 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. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.