Unemployment rate in China
China: Unemployment rate was 4.62 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
4.62
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
111th
of 186 countries
All-time high
5
in 2020
All-time low
2.37
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate in China, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate in China stood at 4.62.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in China peaked at 5 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.37, in 1991.
That places China 111th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.37 | — |
| 1992 | 2.37 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2.69 | +13.5% |
| 1994 | 2.9 | +7.8% |
| 1995 | 3 | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 3.12 | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 3.23 | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 3.24 | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 3.25 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 3.26 | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 3.8 | +16.6% |
| 2002 | 4.24 | +11.6% |
| 2003 | 4.58 | +8.0% |
| 2004 | 4.49 | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 4.52 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 4.43 | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 4.35 | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 4.59 | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 4.72 | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 4.53 | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 4.55 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 4.58 | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 4.6 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 4.63 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 4.65 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 4.56 | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 4.47 | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 4.31 | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 4.56 | +5.8% |
| 2020 | 5 | +9.6% |
| 2021 | 4.55 | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 4.98 | +9.5% |
| 2023 | 4.67 | -6.2% |
| 2024 | 4.59 | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 4.62 | +0.5% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 4.62 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.63, 82% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- China's 4.62 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.05, 1.5× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.91 | 2.37 | 3.25 | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.3 | 3.26 | 4.72 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.54 | 4.31 | 4.65 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.73 | 4.55 | 5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More work & labour data for China
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.65 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1.74 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.57 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.11 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.0615 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 1.12 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 275,362 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 319,567 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 326,230 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 645,797 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in China?
- Unemployment rate in China was 4.62 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 5 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.37 in 1991.
- How does China rank for unemployment rate?
- China ranks 111th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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).