Unemployment rate in Yemen
Yemen: Unemployment rate was 17.32 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate in Yemen, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate in Yemen stood at 17.32.
The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Yemen peaked at 18.61 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 8.34, in 1994.
Yemen ranks 12th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Yemen, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.43 | — |
| 1992 | 8.35 | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 8.34 | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 8.34 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 8.99 | +7.8% |
| 1996 | 9.59 | +6.6% |
| 1997 | 10.22 | +6.7% |
| 1998 | 10.83 | +5.9% |
| 1999 | 11.46 | +5.8% |
| 2000 | 11.56 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 11.72 | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 11.84 | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 12.01 | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 12.13 | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 12.21 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 12.35 | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 12.49 | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 12.66 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 12.76 | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 12.78 | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 13.31 | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 13.47 | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 13.67 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 13.47 | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 17.9 | +32.9% |
| 2016 | 18.42 | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 18.61 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 17.59 | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 17.21 | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 17.96 | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 18.31 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 17.22 | -5.9% |
| 2023 | 16.94 | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 16.97 | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 17.32 | +2.1% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 17.32 is above the median for low income countries, which is 4.43, 3.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 17.32 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 9, 1.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate in Yemen changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +32.9% | 13.47 | 17.9 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.39 | 8.34 | 11.46 | 9 |
| 2000s | 12.17 | 11.56 | 12.76 | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.64 | 12.78 | 18.61 | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.46 | 16.94 | 18.31 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
More work & labour data for Yemen
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.2706 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.2636 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.2778 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.4814 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.12 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 27,630 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 20,674 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 54,803 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 55,233 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 110,036 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Yemen?
- Unemployment rate in Yemen was 17.32 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 18.61 in 2017.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.34 in 1994.
- How does Yemen rank for unemployment rate?
- Yemen ranks 12th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Yemen 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).