Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) was 1.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in United Arab Emirates, 1975–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in United Arab Emirates stood at 1.2%.
That represents a change of up 21.6% on the previous year and up 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in United Arab Emirates peaked at 3.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2024.
United Arab Emirates ranks 172nd of 181 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 1.9% | — |
| 1980 | 1.1% | -42.7% |
| 1985 | 1.1% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 1.7% | +64.6% |
| 2000 | 2.2% | +26.4% |
| 2005 | 2.5% | +14.5% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | -21.4% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | -45.6% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +23.7% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | +186.3% |
| 2021 | 2.1% | -45.0% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | -31.1% |
| 2023 | 1.5% | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | -32.5% |
| 2025 | 1.2% | +21.6% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 1.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.8%, 25% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 1.2% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.8%, 21% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1 |
| 1980s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 4 |
| 2020s | 1.9% | 1.0% | 3.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More work & labour data for United Arab Emirates
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.9136 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.7692 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 1.09 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.1 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.7766 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 12,158 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,005 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 11,620 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 14,514 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 26,134 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in United Arab Emirates?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in United Arab Emirates was 1.2% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2024.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 172nd out of 181 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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 — 17 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.