Unemployment, modelled ILO estimate (% of total labour force) - SDG in Kuwait
Kuwait: Unemployment, modelled ILO estimate (% of total labour force) - SDG was 2.18 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
2.18
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
64th
of 69 countries
All-time high
3.49
in 2020
All-time low
0.694
in 1995
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment, modelled ILO estimate (% of total labour force) - SDG in Kuwait, 1991–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Kuwait recorded 2.18 for unemployment, modelled ilo estimate (% of total labour force) - sdg in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, modelled ilo estimate (% of total labour force) - sdg in Kuwait peaked at 3.49 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.694, in 1995.
Kuwait ranks 64th of 69 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, modelled ILO estimate (% of total labour force) - SDG in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 0.884 | — |
| 1992 | 0.878 | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 0.8 | -8.9% |
| 1994 | 0.7 | -12.5% |
| 1995 | 0.694 | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 0.7 | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 0.7 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.7 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.7 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.8 | +14.3% |
| 2001 | 0.8 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.1 | +37.5% |
| 2003 | 1.3 | +18.2% |
| 2004 | 1.7 | +30.8% |
| 2005 | 1.46 | -14.4% |
| 2006 | 1.3 | -10.7% |
| 2007 | 1.5 | +15.4% |
| 2008 | 1.75 | +16.7% |
| 2009 | 1.64 | -6.3% |
| 2010 | 1.82 | +11.0% |
| 2011 | 2.05 | +12.7% |
| 2012 | 2.23 | +8.6% |
| 2013 | 2.46 | +10.7% |
| 2014 | 2.9 | +17.6% |
| 2015 | 2.2 | -24.1% |
| 2016 | 2.16 | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 2.23 | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 2.2 | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 2.21 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 3.49 | +57.7% |
| 2021 | 2.97 | -14.9% |
| 2022 | 2.13 | -28.2% |
| 2023 | 2.08 | -2.5% |
| 2024 | 2.15 | +3.4% |
| 2025 | 2.18 | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.7507 | 0.694 | 0.884 | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.33 | 0.8 | 1.75 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.25 | 1.82 | 2.9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.5 | 2.08 | 3.49 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
- 61 Poland 2.98 compare
- 62 Malta 2.9 compare
- 63 Czechia 2.83 compare
- 65 United Arab Emirates 2.17 compare
- 66 Russian Federation 2.13 compare
- 67 Republic of Moldova 1.5 compare
More social development data for Kuwait
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 386 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,369 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0007 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,369 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, modelled ilo estimate (% of total labour force) - sdg in Kuwait?
- Unemployment, modelled ilo estimate (% of total labour force) - sdg in Kuwait was 2.18 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest unemployment, modelled ilo estimate (% of total labour force) - sdg recorded in Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 3.49 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, modelled ilo estimate (% of total labour force) - sdg recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.694 in 1995.
- How does Kuwait rank for unemployment, modelled ilo estimate (% of total labour force) - sdg?
- Kuwait ranks 64th out of 69 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, modelled ilo estimate (% of total labour force) - sdg rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kuwait data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Unemployment, modelled ILO estimate (% of total labour force) - SDG 8.5.2. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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