High income: Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, High income's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) rose 0.04 percentage points on 2023 (from 9.56% to 9.59%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was −0.14 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.27 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 4.01 percentage points in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.54 percentage points in 2007. 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 0.53 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 79% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 6.89% for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.42%, against 1.7% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

What this measures

The percentage of the labor force with a basic level of education who are unemployed. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education 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 25 values

Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) in nearby economies

• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 3.42% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 4.99% (2024)
• Israel — 4.27% (2024)
• Malta — 4.18% (2024)
• Pakistan — 6.33% (2025)
• Tunisia — 14.24% (2023)
• West Bank and Gaza — 32.63% (2025)

More social protection & labor data for High income

• Net migration — 2.38 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 9.68 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 149,559 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 55.55% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 68.34% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 61.85% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate) — 44.12% (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 High income's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education)?

9.59% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is down 3.26 percentage points from 12.85% in 2000. The highest value was 16.83% in 2013 and the lowest 9.56% in 2023.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.BASC.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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