Unemployment rate women in Iran
Iran: Unemployment rate women was 15.59 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
15.59
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
21st
of 186 countries
All-time high
24.6
in 1991
All-time low
13.43
in 1996
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate women in Iran, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Iran recorded 15.59 for unemployment rate women in 2025.
That represents a change of up 3.2% on the previous year and down 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate women in Iran peaked at 24.6 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 13.43, in 1996.
That places Iran 21st out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate women in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 24.6 | — |
| 1992 | 22.32 | -9.3% |
| 1993 | 20.62 | -7.6% |
| 1994 | 18.76 | -9.0% |
| 1995 | 16.24 | -13.5% |
| 1996 | 13.43 | -17.3% |
| 1997 | 14.89 | +10.8% |
| 1998 | 16.43 | +10.3% |
| 1999 | 18.12 | +10.3% |
| 2000 | 19.38 | +7.0% |
| 2001 | 20.8 | +7.3% |
| 2002 | 21.85 | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 18.94 | -13.3% |
| 2004 | 16.2 | -14.5% |
| 2005 | 17.69 | +9.2% |
| 2006 | 16.58 | -6.3% |
| 2007 | 16.17 | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 17.01 | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 17.1 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 20.84 | +21.8% |
| 2011 | 21.19 | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 19.92 | -6.0% |
| 2013 | 20.02 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 19.91 | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 19.62 | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 20.9 | +6.5% |
| 2017 | 20.01 | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 19.06 | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 17.63 | -7.5% |
| 2020 | 15.74 | -10.7% |
| 2021 | 16.1 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 15.88 | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 15.11 | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 15.12 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 15.59 | +3.2% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 15.59 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.5, 2.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iran's 15.59 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 15.31, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.38 | 13.43 | 24.6 | 9 |
| 2000s | 18.17 | 16.17 | 21.85 | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.91 | 17.63 | 21.19 | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.59 | 15.11 | 16.1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More work & labour data for Iran
- 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 rate women in Iran?
- Unemployment rate women in Iran was 15.59 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate women recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 24.6 in 1991.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate women recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.43 in 1996.
- How does Iran rank for unemployment rate women?
- Iran ranks 21st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate women rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).