Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 5.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income, 1994–2022
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2022, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income stood at 5.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.7% on the previous year and up 23.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income peaked at 6.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 1994.
That places Low & middle income 15th out of 33 groups with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 2.9% | — |
| 2000 | 4.9% | +72.3% |
| 2005 | 4.7% | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 4.2% | -11.5% |
| 2012 | 4.3% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 6.2% | +46.4% |
| 2019 | 6.0% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 6.8% | +13.9% |
| 2021 | 6.4% | -6.3% |
| 2022 | 5.2% | -17.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 4.8% | 4.7% | 4.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 5.2% | 4.2% | 6.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 6.1% | 5.2% | 6.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More work & labour data for Low & middle income
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 61.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 74.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 33.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 42.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.0% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 67.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 47.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 52.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 65.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Low & middle income was 5.2% 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 Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 6.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 1994.
- How does Low & middle income rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Low & middle income ranks 15th out of 33 groups with data for 2022.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Low & middle 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.