Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 6.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1986–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2024, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of stood at 6.2%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.6% on the previous year and down 30.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 12.9% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 6.2%, in 2024.
Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 66th of 181 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 12.9% | — |
| 1991 | 9.5% | -26.4% |
| 1996 | 8.5% | -10.5% |
| 2002 | 11.2% | +31.8% |
| 2004 | 9.8% | -12.5% |
| 2005 | 10.3% | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 10.3% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 9.5% | -7.5% |
| 2008 | 9.3% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 11.0% | +18.6% |
| 2010 | 12.1% | +10.1% |
| 2011 | 10.7% | -11.4% |
| 2012 | 10.6% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 8.7% | -17.3% |
| 2014 | 8.9% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 9.4% | +5.5% |
| 2016 | 10.7% | +13.7% |
| 2017 | 10.3% | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 10.5% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 9.1% | -13.4% |
| 2020 | 8.5% | -7.0% |
| 2021 | 8.0% | -5.9% |
| 2022 | 7.7% | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 6.7% | -13.6% |
| 2024 | 6.2% | -6.6% |
Iran, Islamic Republic of compared with similar countries
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 6.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.4%, 1.2× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Iran, Islamic Republic of's 6.2% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.8%, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 12.9% | 12.9% | 12.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 9.0% | 8.5% | 9.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 10.2% | 9.3% | 11.2% | 7 |
| 2010s | 10.1% | 8.7% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.4% | 6.2% | 8.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
More work & labour data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 44,188 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 40.34 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 29,874 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 8.53 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2.43 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 57,320 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 20,416 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 36.89 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.89 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.574 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 6.2% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 12.9% in 1986.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.2% in 2024.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 66th out of 181 countries with data for 2024.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 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.