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West Bank and Gaza — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for West Bank and Gaza, 1991–2022.
Latest value · 2022
24.42%
Unemployment Rate · % of total labor force · +129.0% since 1991
Unemployment for West Bank and Gaza was 24.42% in 2022, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 32 years, from 1991 to 2022. The highest recorded value was 27.46% in 2002. The lowest was 10.38% in 1999 (about 2.4× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 2.71% per year.
West Bank and Gaza ranks 5 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 3%. The median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 9.00%, so West Bank and Gaza sits above it. It peaked in 2002 and has fallen 11% since. Over the last decade (2012–2022) the figure moved up 27%.
Key figures
Latest (2022)
24.42%
First (1991)
10.67%
Change
+129.0%
Highest
27.46%
in 2002
Lowest
10.38%
in 1999
Average
18.80%
Annual growth (CAGR)
2.71%
Years of data
32
Recent years
| Year | % of total labor force |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 24.42% |
| 2021 | 26.39% |
| 2020 | 25.9% |
| 2019 | 25.34% |
| 2018 | 26.26% |
| 2017 | 25.68% |
| 2016 | 23.94% |
| 2015 | 23.01% |
| 2014 | 20.53% |
| 2013 | 19.89% |
| 2012 | 19.2% |
| 2011 | 17.6% |
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.