Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income): Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 4.0% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), 1990–2022
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2022, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) stood at 4.0%.
That represents a change of down 11.7% on the previous year and up 42.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) peaked at 4.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1991.
That places East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 31st out of 33 groups with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.5% | — |
| 1991 | 1.4% | -44.3% |
| 1992 | 1.4% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 1.5% | +4.4% |
| 1994 | 1.6% | +10.5% |
| 1995 | 1.4% | -11.7% |
| 1996 | 1.8% | +25.2% |
| 1997 | 2.0% | +10.9% |
| 1998 | 2.7% | +36.7% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 4.1% | +51.5% |
| 2001 | 2.2% | -46.8% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | +17.3% |
| 2003 | 2.2% | -12.4% |
| 2004 | 2.2% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | +22.2% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | -7.0% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | +8.5% |
| 2009 | 2.6% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 3.1% | +16.0% |
| 2011 | 2.9% | -5.8% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 3.0% | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | +5.4% |
| 2016 | 3.6% | +13.2% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 4.3% | +24.9% |
| 2019 | 4.3% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 4.8% | +11.1% |
| 2021 | 4.5% | -5.6% |
| 2022 | 4.0% | -11.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.9% | 1.4% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.4% | 2.8% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.0% | 4.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- 28 Bosnia and Herzegovina 10.7% compare
- 29 Nepal 10.7% compare
- 30 Spain 10.5% compare
- 31 Mauritania 10.4% compare
- 32 Angola 10.4% compare
- 33 Bahamas 10.3% compare
- 34 New Caledonia 10.2% compare
More work & labour data for East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 72.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 65.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 43.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 46.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 72.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.2% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 80.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 58.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) was 4.0% in 2022, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 4.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1991.
- How does East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) ranks 31st out of 33 groups with data for 2022.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.