Unemployment rate in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Unemployment rate was 13.35 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
13.35
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
21st
of 186 countries
All-time high
14.1
in 2022
All-time low
7.79
in 2004
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate in Afghanistan, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate in Afghanistan is 13.35, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and up 47.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Afghanistan peaked at 14.1 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 7.79, in 2004.
That places Afghanistan 21st out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.9 | 7.86 | 7.97 | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.87 | 7.79 | 7.97 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.21 | 7.81 | 11.19 | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.14 | 11.71 | 14.1 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 18 Angola 14.11 compare
- 19 Montenegro 13.57 compare
- 20 Syria 13.57 compare
- 22 Armenia 12.87 compare
- 23 South Sudan 12.37 compare
- 24 North Macedonia 12.26 compare
More work & labour data for Afghanistan
- Women can take the same jobs as men 0 (2023)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (2023)
- Criminal penalties or civil remedies sexual harassment in employment 1 (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 69.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 5.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 68.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 37.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 37.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 5.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 5.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Afghanistan?
- Unemployment rate in Afghanistan was 13.35 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 14.1 in 2022.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.79 in 2004.
- How does Afghanistan rank for unemployment rate?
- Afghanistan ranks 21st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 47.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. 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).