Unemployment rate in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Unemployment rate was 2.17 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
2.17
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
168th
of 186 countries
All-time high
4.29
in 2020
All-time low
1.63
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate in United Arab Emirates, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate in United Arab Emirates stood at 2.17.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in United Arab Emirates peaked at 4.29 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.63, in 1991.
That places United Arab Emirates 168th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom 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 | 1.88 | 1.63 | 2.19 | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.8 | 2.25 | 3.12 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.23 | 1.64 | 2.8 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.79 | 2.15 | 4.29 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More work & labour data for United Arab Emirates
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (2023)
- Criminal penalties or civil remedies sexual harassment in employment 1 (2023)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 54.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 92.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 79.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 53.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 91.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 26.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in United Arab Emirates?
- Unemployment rate in United Arab Emirates was 2.17 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 4.29 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.63 in 1991.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for unemployment rate?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 168th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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).