Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Thailand
Thailand: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) was 3.9% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Thailand, 1976–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Thailand stood at 3.9%.
The figure is down 15.0% on the previous year and up 24.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Thailand peaked at 9.6% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 2013.
Thailand ranks 147th of 160 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Thailand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 2.9% | — |
| 1978 | 1.8% | -39.2% |
| 1979 | 2.1% | +16.2% |
| 1980 | 1.8% | -12.4% |
| 1982 | 4.1% | +126.4% |
| 1984 | 8.9% | +116.3% |
| 1987 | 9.6% | +8.1% |
| 1988 | 5.3% | -45.2% |
| 1989 | 2.4% | -54.0% |
| 1990 | 4.3% | +76.3% |
| 1994 | 2.6% | -39.0% |
| 1996 | 2.5% | -5.9% |
| 1997 | 2.2% | -11.5% |
| 1998 | 7.4% | +242.1% |
| 1999 | 7.7% | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 6.6% | -15.3% |
| 2001 | 7.6% | +15.6% |
| 2003 | 5.0% | -33.7% |
| 2004 | 4.5% | -10.5% |
| 2005 | 4.8% | +5.8% |
| 2006 | 4.8% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 4.5% | -6.5% |
| 2008 | 4.8% | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 5.6% | +17.4% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | -54.8% |
| 2011 | 2.9% | +14.0% |
| 2012 | 2.7% | -6.6% |
| 2013 | 1.2% | -55.0% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | +158.5% |
| 2015 | 3.1% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | +19.6% |
| 2017 | 4.4% | +17.5% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | -8.3% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 5.2% | +24.2% |
| 2021 | 5.8% | +12.3% |
| 2022 | 5.1% | -12.1% |
| 2023 | 4.4% | -14.3% |
| 2024 | 4.6% | +4.4% |
| 2025 | 3.9% | -15.0% |
Thailand compared with similar countries
- Thailand's 3.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.5%, 25% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Thailand's 3.9% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.0%, 48% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Thailand 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +242.1% | 2.2% | 7.4% |
| 2014 | +158.5% | 1.2% | 3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.3% | 1.8% | 2.9% | 3 |
| 1980s | 5.4% | 1.8% | 9.6% | 6 |
| 1990s | 4.5% | 2.2% | 7.7% | 6 |
| 2000s | 5.3% | 4.5% | 7.6% | 9 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 1.2% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 3.9% | 5.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Thailand
- 144 Israel 4.7% compare
- 145 Côte d'Ivoire 4.4% compare
- 146 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 4.3% compare
- 148 Guatemala 3.8% compare
- 149 Kazakhstan 3.8% compare
- 150 Japan 3.8% compare
More work & labour data for Thailand
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7473 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.7165 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7773 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.09 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1451 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 45,410 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 19,963 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 23,079 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 22,476 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 45,555 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Thailand?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Thailand was 3.9% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Thailand?
- The highest recorded value was 9.6% in 1987.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Thailand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 2013.
- How does Thailand rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- Thailand ranks 147th out of 160 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Thailand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Thailand data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.