Thailand — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Thailand, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Thailand was 0.78% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 3.40% in 1998. The lowest was 0.25% in 2013 (about 3.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -3.51% per year.
Thailand ranks 184 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 98%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 3.05%, so Thailand sits below it. It peaked in 1998 and has fallen 77% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 31%. Within East Asia & Pacific it ranks 28 of 29 economies; Cambodia (0.26%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 290% in 1998. That is 6% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 144th of 187 in 1991 → 167th of 187 in 2000 → 186th of 187 in 2010 → 182nd of 187 in 2020 → 179th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.78% | +0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 0.78% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 0.73% | -0.2 pp |
| 2022 | 0.94% | -0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 1.22% | +0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 1.1% | +0.4 pp |
| 2019 | 0.72% | -0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 0.77% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 0.83% | +0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 0.69% | +0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 0.6% | +0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 0.58% | +0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 0.25% | -0.3 pp |
| 2012 | 0.58% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 0.66% | +0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 0.62% | -0.9 pp |
| 2009 | 1.49% | +0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 1.18% | +0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 1.18% | -0.0 pp |
| 2006 | 1.22% | -0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 1.35% | -0.2 pp |
| 2004 | 1.51% | -0.0 pp |
| 2003 | 1.54% | -0.3 pp |
| 2002 | 1.82% | -0.8 pp |
| 2001 | 2.6% | +0.2 pp |
| 2000 | 2.39% | -0.6 pp |
| 1999 | 2.97% | -0.4 pp |
| 1998 | 3.4% | +2.5 pp |
| 1997 | 0.87% | -0.2 pp |
| 1996 | 1.07% | -0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 1.1% | -0.2 pp |
| 1994 | 1.35% | -0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 1.49% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 1.35% | -1.3 pp |
| 1991 | 2.63% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Thailand’s Unemployment in 1992?
1.35% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Thailand’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -70.3% in total — about 3.5% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 0.78%; 2024: 0.78%; 2023: 0.73%; 2022: 0.94%; 2021: 1.22%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
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.