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Pakistan — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Pakistan, 1991–2025.
Latest value · 2025
5.42%
Unemployment Rate · % of total labor force · +809.4% since 1991
Unemployment for Pakistan was 5.42% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 6.34% in 2021. The lowest was 0.40% in 2007 (about 13.6× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 6.71% per year.
Pakistan ranks 88 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 47%. The median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 9.00%, so Pakistan sits below it. It peaked in 2021 and has fallen 14% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 52%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
5.42%
First (1991)
0.60%
Change
+809.4%
Highest
6.34%
in 2021
Lowest
0.40%
in 2007
Average
2.08%
Annual growth (CAGR)
6.71%
Years of data
35
Recent years
| Year | % of total labor force |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 5.42% |
| 2024 | 5.49% |
| 2023 | 5.24% |
| 2022 | 5.29% |
| 2021 | 6.34% |
| 2020 | 5.99% |
| 2019 | 4.83% |
| 2018 | 4.08% |
| 2017 | 3.2% |
| 2016 | 2.29% |
| 2015 | 3.57% |
| 2014 | 1.83% |
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.