Bhutan's unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) was 2.55% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 0.7 percentage points from 1.85% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 2.55% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 4.13% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 1.85% | 2015 |
| Highest | 4.38% | 2022 |
| Lowest | 1.2% | 1999 |
| Average since 2018 | 3.11% | 2018–2025 |
| First recorded | 1.4% | 1998 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Bhutan's unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) fell 0.25 percentage points on 2024 (from 2.8% to 2.55%).
Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2024), the average change was −0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.85 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below 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 1.89 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.86 percentage points in 2023. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2018 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 8 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.
How it compares
In 2025, Bhutan had the 73rd highest value of the 83 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Bhutan | 2.55% | 2025 |
| South Asia | 4.56% | 2025 |
| Lower middle income | 4.1% | 2024 |
Closest to Bhutan in the 2025 ranking
- Cambodia — 70th of 83: 2.7%
- El Salvador — 71st of 83: 2.66%
- Ecuador — 72nd of 83: 2.64%
- Czechia — 74th of 83: 2.52%
- Mexico — 75th of 83: 2.48%
- Saudi Arabia — 76th of 83: 2.08%
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 21 values
| Year | Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.55 |
| 2024 | 2.8 |
| 2023 | 2.52 |
| 2022 | 4.38 |
| 2021 | 3.62 |
| 2020 | 4.13 |
| 2019 | 2.24 |
| 2018 | 2.68 |
| 2017 | no data |
| 2016 | no data |
| 2015 |
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) in nearby economies
- Bangladesh — 3.73% (2024)
- India — 4.56% (2025)
- Sri Lanka — 2.98% (2024)
More social protection & labor data for Bhutan
- Net migration — 455 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 31.06% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 30.63% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 30.83% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 59.65% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 74.48% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 67.69% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Bhutan's unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate)?
- 2.55% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1998?
- It is up 1.15 percentage points from 1.4% in 1998. The highest value was 4.38% in 2022 and the lowest 1.2% in 1999.
- How does Bhutan rank?
- 73rd highest of 83 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) unusual for Bhutan?
- In 2025, Bhutan's unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) fell 0.25 percentage points on 2024 (from 2.8% to 2.55%). Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1999 to 2024), the average change was −0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.85 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below 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.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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