Bangladesh: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate)

Key figures

Since 1984 it is up 1.97 percentage points from 1.76% in 1984. The World Bank has no value for 22 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.32 percentage points in 2024 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.25 percentage points in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

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

How it compares

In 2024, Bangladesh had the 15th highest value of the 21 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Bangladesh in the 2024 ranking

• Mauritius — 12th of 21: 4.08%
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 13th of 21: 4.04%
• Trinidad and Tobago — 14th of 21: 3.86%
• Mali — 16th of 21: 3.01%
• Sri Lanka — 17th of 21: 2.98%
• Nigeria — 18th of 21: 2.65%

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: While the unemployment rate may be considered the most informative labour market indicator, reflecting the general performance of the labour market and the economy as a whole, it should not be interpreted as a measure of economic hardship or of well-being. When based on the internationally-recommended standards, the unemployment rate simply reflects the proportion of the labour force that does not have a job but is available and actively looking for work. It says nothing about the economic resources of unemployed workers or their family members. Its use should, therefore, be limited to serving as a measurement of the utilization of labour and an indication of the failure to find work.

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

All 19 values

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

• Bhutan — 2.55% (2025)
• India — 4.56% (2025)
• Sri Lanka — 2.98% (2024)

More social protection & labor data for Bangladesh

• Net migration — -402,100 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 1.18 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 31,862 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 46.54% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 50.28% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 48.38% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 41.48% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Bangladesh's unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate)?

3.73% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1984?

It is up 1.97 percentage points from 1.76% in 1984. The highest value was 4.43% in 2022 and the lowest 0.77% in 1986.

How does Bangladesh rank?

15th highest of 21 economies with data for 2024.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.MA.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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