Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 3.65 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Hong Kong, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in Hong Kong is 3.65, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 22.3% on the previous year and up 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in Hong Kong peaked at 5.81 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.81, in 2018.
Hong Kong ranks 57th of 74 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Hong Kong, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3.3 | — |
| 2015 | 3.31 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 3.39 | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 3.12 | -7.9% |
| 2018 | 2.81 | -10.2% |
| 2019 | 2.92 | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 5.81 | +99.1% |
| 2021 | 5.17 | -10.9% |
| 2022 | 4.32 | -16.5% |
| 2023 | 2.95 | -31.7% |
| 2024 | 2.99 | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 3.65 | +22.3% |
Hong Kong compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong's 3.65 is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.87, 75% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong's 3.65 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.63, 1.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 3.14 | 2.81 | 3.39 | 6 |
| 2020s | 4.15 | 2.95 | 5.81 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong
More work & labour data for Hong Kong
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 2,981 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 55.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,663 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.78 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.06 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 149,185 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,833 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 53.6 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.56 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -1.12 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in Hong Kong?
- Unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) in Hong Kong was 3.65 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Hong Kong?
- The highest recorded value was 5.81 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Hong Kong?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.81 in 2018.
- How does Hong Kong rank for unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- Hong Kong ranks 57th out of 74 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in Hong Kong?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hong Kong data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. The unemployment rate conveys the number of persons who are unemployed as a percent of the labour force (i.e., the employed plus the unemployed). The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.