Unemployment Rate in Pakistan increased to 5.50 percent in 2024 from 5.40 percent in 2023. This dataset provides - Pakistan Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2024, the unemployment rate in Pakistan was at approximately 5.47 percent, a slight increase from 5.41 percent the previous year. Unemployment as an economic key indicatorThe unemployment rate of a country represents the share of people without a job in the country’s labor force, i.e. unemployed persons among those who are able and/or willing to work. Among other factors, it takes population growth into account, and thus increases in the labor force, as well as the age of the population. A high unemployment rate usually indicates economic troubles, with a popular example being Greece, where the unemployment rate skyrocketed from 7.76 percent in 2008 to 27.5 percent as a result of the Great Recession. From plowshares to keyboardsWhile Pakistan’s unemployment slumped below the one percent mark in 2010, it is now on the rise again and currently standing at just over four percent. Traditionally, most Pakistanis work in agriculture however, the lion’s share of the country’s GDP is generated by services, like tourism, banking, and IT. While agriculture is still important for Pakistan’s economy, the services sector is gaining ground in the country, and more and more people are moving to urban areas from the countryside to find jobs in the cities.

Key information about Pakistan Unemployment Rate

• Pakistan Unemployment Rate increased to 6.90% in Jun 2025, from the previously reported figure of 6.30% in Jun 2021.
• Pakistan Unemployment Rate is updated yearly, available from Jun 1980 to Jun 2025, with an average rate of 5.89%.
• The data reached an all-time high of 8.27% in Jun 2003 and a record low of 3.04% in Jun 1986.
• The data is reported by reported by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
• In the latest reports, Pakistan Population reached 241.50 million people in Jun 2023.

The youth unemployment rate in Pakistan was 9.86 percent in 2024. Between 1991 and 2024, the youth unemployment rate rose by 8.89 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Pakistan Unemployment Rate: Urban data was reported at 7.230 % in 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 7.980 % for 2015. Pakistan Unemployment Rate: Urban data is updated yearly, averaging 7.950 % from Jun 1990 (Median) to 2018, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.920 % in 2001 and a record low of 4.580 % in 1990. Pakistan Unemployment Rate: Urban data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Pakistan – Table PK.G002: Labour Force Survey: Population, Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment. No data for 2016-2017 as per source. Labour Force Survey has not been conducted for these two years due to Population Census.

Pakistan PK: Unemployment Rate: % Change data was reported at 34.534 % in Jun 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 29.246 % for Mar 2015. Pakistan PK: Unemployment Rate: % Change data is updated quarterly, averaging -11.893 % from Mar 2014 (Median) to Jun 2015, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 34.534 % in Jun 2015 and a record low of -55.348 % in Jun 2014. Pakistan PK: Unemployment Rate: % Change data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Pakistan – Table PK.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Quarterly.

Historical dataset showing Pakistan unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

View yearly updates and historical trends for Pakistan Unemployment Rate Outlook. Source: International Monetary Fund. Track economic data with YCharts an…

Pakistan PK: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data was reported at -35.193 % in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 7.143 % for 2011. Pakistan PK: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data is updated yearly, averaging 0.000 % from Dec 1986 (Median) to 2014, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 103.226 % in 1991 and a record low of -35.193 % in 2014. Pakistan PK: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Pakistan – Table PK.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Annual.

Actual value and historical data chart for Pakistan Unemployment Youth Total Percent Of Total Labor Force Ages 15 24

Historical dataset showing Pakistan youth unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

Actual value and historical data chart for Pakistan Unemployment With Advanced Education Percent Of Total Unemployment

View yearly updates and historical trends for Pakistan Youth Unemployment Rate. Source: World Bank. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

The number of unemployed persons in Pakistan decreased to 4510 Thousand in 2021 from 4710 Thousand in 2019. This dataset provides - Pakistan Unemployed Persons - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Pakistan Unemployment Rate: Rural data was reported at 5.030 % in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.010 % for 2015. Pakistan Unemployment Rate: Rural data is updated yearly, averaging 5.010 % from Jun 1990 (Median) to 2018, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.550 % in 2003 and a record low of 2.600 % in 1990. Pakistan Unemployment Rate: Rural data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Pakistan – Table PK.G002: Labour Force Survey: Population, Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment. No data for 2016-2017 as per source. Labour Force Survey has not been conducted for these two years due to Population Census.

As of the third quarter of 2025, the unemployment rate for people of white ethnicity in the United Kingdom was 4.3 percent, the lowest of the provided ethnic groups in this quarter. By contrast, the unemployment rate for people in the Bangladeshi ethnic group was 18.1 percent.

This dataset provides values for UNEMPLOYMENT RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Pakistan PK: Unemployment Rate data was reported at 3.604 % in Jun 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.824 % for Mar 2015. Pakistan PK: Unemployment Rate data is updated quarterly, averaging 5.217 % from Sep 2012 (Median) to Jun 2015, with 10 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.500 % in Dec 2012 and a record low of 2.679 % in Jun 2014. Pakistan PK: Unemployment Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Pakistan – Table PK.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Quarterly.

In 2024, the unemployment rate in Bangladesh was at approximately 4.68 percent. After a decrease from 2010 through 2011, Bangladesh’s unemployment has been steady at around 4.5 percent. Stuck in the middle? In the Asia-Pacific region, Bangladesh’s economy is ranked somewhere in the middle, lower than Pakistan, but even higher than New Zealand. The same is true for gross national income (GNI) and about the same for unemployment (where it ranks eighth, behind China, Australia, and Afghanistan). But Bangladesh’s figures are not always seemingly mediocre: It is one of the most densely populated countries with one of the largest populations worldwide. On the way up Most of Bangladesh’s workforce is employed in the tertiary sector, which is gaining workers while the share of employed people in the primary sector, including agriculture, is decreasing. The country’s GDP is on a steady upswing, while inflation seems to recover and level off at around 5 percent for now. Bangladesh is, after all, one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

Actual value and historical data chart for Pakistan Unemployment Female Percent Of Female Labor Force