Bhutan: Unemployment with advanced education, female (% of female labor force with advanced education)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Bhutan's unemployment with advanced education, female (% of female labor force with advanced education) fell 6.2 percentage points on 2023 (from 15.18% to 8.98%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2013 to 2023), the average change was +0.83 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.85 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 19.05 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 11.75 percentage points in 2014. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.78 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 48% of the movement over 8 observed 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, Bhutan had the 8th highest value of the 61 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 Bhutan in the 2024 ranking

• South Africa — 5th of 61: 14.42%
• Türkiye — 6th of 61: 13.07%
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 7th of 61: 10.38%
• North Macedonia — 9th of 61: 8.66%
• Montenegro — 10th of 61: 8.45%
• Greece — 11th of 61: 8.34%

What this measures

The percentage of the labor force with an advanced level of education who are unemployed. Advanced education comprises short-cycle tertiary education, a bachelor’s degree or equivalent education level, a master’s degree or equivalent education level, or doctoral degree or equivalent education level according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).

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

All 11 values

Unemployment with advanced education, female (% of female labor force with advanced education) in nearby economies

• India — 20.91% (2024)
• Sri Lanka — 7.56% (2023)

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

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Questions people ask

What is Bhutan's unemployment with advanced education, female (% of female labor force with advanced education)?

8.98% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2012?

It is down 1.27 percentage points from 10.24% in 2012. The highest value was 29.29% in 2013 and the lowest 8.98% in 2024.

How does Bhutan rank?

8th highest of 61 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in unemployment with advanced education, female (% of female labor force with advanced education) unusual for Bhutan?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.ADVN.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: March 30, 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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