Unemployment with basic education in South Asia
South Asia: Unemployment with basic education was 2.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Unemployment with basic education in South Asia, 1994–2024
Source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total labor force with basic education.
Analysis
South Asia recorded 2.3% for unemployment with basic education in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.9% on the previous year and down 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment with basic education in South Asia peaked at 6.4% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 2024.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Unemployment with basic education in South Asia, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force with basic education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 3.4% | — |
| 2000 | 3.9% | +14.7% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 3.0% | -26.2% |
| 2012 | 3.0% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 6.4% | +115.2% |
| 2019 | 4.9% | -22.7% |
| 2020 | 6.3% | +29.0% |
| 2021 | 4.9% | -23.4% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | -34.8% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | -21.0% |
| 2024 | 2.3% | -6.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 4.0% | 3.9% | 4.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 4.3% | 3.0% | 6.4% | 4 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 2.3% | 6.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More work & labour data for South Asia
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 33.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 77.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 55.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 19.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 45.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 33.0% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 42.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 59.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 35.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 81.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment with basic education in South Asia?
- Unemployment with basic education in South Asia was 2.3% in 2024, according to Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment with basic education recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.4% in 2018.
- What is the lowest unemployment with basic education recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 2024.
- How does South Asia rank for unemployment with basic education?
- South Asia ranks 17th out of 18 groups with data for 2024.
- Is unemployment with basic education rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Asia data come from?
- The figures come from Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The percentage of the labor force with a basic level of education who are unemployed. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).