Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Iran
Iran: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 17.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Iran, 2005–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Iran is 17.7%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.
The figure is down 5.0% on the previous year and down 17.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Iran peaked at 25.5% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 17.7%, in 2024.
That places Iran 41st out of 157 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 20.7% | — |
| 2006 | 21.2% | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 20.2% | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 20.3% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 22.8% | +12.0% |
| 2010 | 25.5% | +12.1% |
| 2011 | 23.1% | -9.8% |
| 2012 | 23.4% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 20.1% | -13.9% |
| 2014 | 21.4% | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 22.4% | +4.7% |
| 2016 | 25.5% | +14.1% |
| 2017 | 24.3% | -4.8% |
| 2018 | 24.3% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 22.8% | -6.4% |
| 2020 | 21.2% | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 20.9% | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 19.9% | -4.9% |
| 2023 | 18.7% | -6.2% |
| 2024 | 17.7% | -5.0% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 17.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.6%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Iran's 17.7% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 11.7%, 1.5× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 21.0% | 20.2% | 22.8% | 5 |
| 2010s | 23.3% | 20.1% | 25.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.7% | 17.7% | 21.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More work & labour data for Iran
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 44,188 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 40.34 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 29,874 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 8.53 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2.43 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 57,320 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 20,416 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 36.89 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.89 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.574 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Iran?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Iran was 17.7% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 25.5% in 2010.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.7% in 2024.
- How does Iran rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Iran ranks 41st out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.