Algeria: Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Algeria's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) rose 2.47 percentage points on 2016 (from 18.25% to 20.71%).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2016), the average change was −0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.95 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.81 percentage points in 1990 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.27 percentage points in 2004. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2008 to 2017 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 6% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to Algeria in the 2017 ranking

• São Tomé and Principe — 2nd of 3: 13.07%
• Liechtenstein — 3rd of 3: 1.81%

What this measures

Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.

Limitations: The criteria for people considered to be seeking work, and the treatment of people temporarily laid off or seeking work for the first time, vary across countries. In many cases it is especially difficult to measure employment and unemployment in agriculture. The timing of a survey can maximize the effects of seasonal unemployment in agriculture. And informal sector employment is difficult to quantify where informal activities are not tracked.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 24 values

Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Bahrain — 3.53% (2015)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 11.9% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 14.27% (2024)
• Israel — 2.9% (2025)
• Jordan — 25.01% (2024)
• Kuwait — 5.83% (2016)
• Malta — 3.02% (2025)
• Morocco — 17.15% (2022)
• Oman — 9.7% (2024)

More social protection & labor data for Algeria

• Net migration — -27,531 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 180,575 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 9,174 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 7.92% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 40.32% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 24.46% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 15.7% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Algeria's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate)?

20.71% in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is down 3.36 percentage points from 24.07% in 1975. The highest value was 31.41% in 2001 and the lowest 14.44% in 2006.

Is the latest change in unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) unusual for Algeria?

In 2017, Algeria's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) rose 2.47 percentage points on 2016 (from 18.25% to 20.71%). Across the 17 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2016), the average change was −0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.95 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.FE.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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