Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Palestine
Palestine: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 28.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Palestine, 2000–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Palestine is 28.5%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 10.3% on the previous year and up 41.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Palestine peaked at 31.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 11.1%, in 2000.
Palestine ranks 3rd of 181 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Palestine, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 11.1% | — |
| 2001 | 23.3% | +109.8% |
| 2002 | 29.8% | +28.1% |
| 2003 | 24.5% | -17.9% |
| 2004 | 24.9% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 20.7% | -16.9% |
| 2006 | 20.2% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 19.1% | -5.4% |
| 2008 | 23.7% | +23.6% |
| 2009 | 20.5% | -13.3% |
| 2010 | 21.4% | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 16.5% | -22.8% |
| 2012 | 17.6% | +6.7% |
| 2013 | 18.2% | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 19.2% | +5.5% |
| 2015 | 20.2% | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 20.6% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 21.5% | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 22.4% | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 21.3% | -4.8% |
| 2020 | 22.5% | +5.3% |
| 2021 | 22.4% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 20.3% | -9.1% |
| 2024 | 31.7% | +56.1% |
| 2025 | 28.5% | -10.3% |
Palestine compared with similar countries
- Palestine's 28.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.8%, 7.4× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Palestine's 28.5% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.8%, 4.9× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Palestine changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +109.8% | 11.1% | 23.3% |
| 2024 | +56.1% | 20.3% | 31.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 21.8% | 11.1% | 29.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.9% | 16.5% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.1% | 20.3% | 31.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Palestine
- 1 Eswatini 31.8% compare
- 2 South Africa 30.4% compare
- 4 Botswana 22.5% compare
- 5 Namibia 21.1% compare
- 6 French Polynesia 21.1% compare
More work & labour data for Palestine
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0758 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0822 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0689 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.181 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.86 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 8,293 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,412 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5,677 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,805 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 11,482 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Palestine?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Palestine was 28.5% 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 Palestine?
- The highest recorded value was 31.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Palestine?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.1% in 2000.
- How does Palestine rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Palestine ranks 3rd out of 181 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Palestine?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Palestine 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.