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Iran, Islamic Rep. — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Iran, Islamic Rep., 1991–2025.
Latest value · 2025
8.30%
Unemployment Rate · % of total labor force · -25.2% since 1991
Unemployment for Iran, Islamic Rep. was 8.30% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 13.68% in 2010. The lowest was 8.13% in 2023 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.85% per year.
Iran, Islamic Rep. ranks 54 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 29%. The median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 9.00%, so Iran, Islamic Rep. sits below it. It peaked in 2010 and has fallen 39% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 26%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
8.30%
First (1991)
11.10%
Change
-25.2%
Highest
13.68%
in 2010
Lowest
8.13%
in 2023
Average
10.85%
Annual growth (CAGR)
-0.85%
Years of data
35
Recent years
| Year | % of total labor force |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 8.3% |
| 2024 | 8.15% |
| 2023 | 8.13% |
| 2022 | 9.09% |
| 2021 | 9.28% |
| 2020 | 9.69% |
| 2019 | 10.74% |
| 2018 | 12.2% |
| 2017 | 12.23% |
| 2016 | 12.62% |
| 2015 | 11.17% |
| 2014 | 10.68% |
Reading this correctly. Share of the labor force without work but available for and seeking employment. National definitions differ, so cross-country comparison needs care. Figures are in % of total labor force. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.