Indonesia's unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) was 3.42% in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 0.91 percentage points from 4.34% in 2013.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 3.42% | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 4.39% | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 4.34% | 2013 |
| Highest | 8.06% | 2007 |
| Lowest | 1.29% | 1977 |
| Average since 2014 | 3.96% | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 1.92% | 1976 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Indonesia's unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) fell 0.04 percentage points on 2022 (from 3.46% to 3.42%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.61 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 1.58 percentage points in 1994 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.1 percentage points in 2009. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.09 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 46% 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.
How it compares
See how every economy compares in the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 3.42% | 2023 |
| World | 5.08% | 2022 |
| East Asia & Pacific | 3.9% | 2022 |
| Upper middle income | 5.37% | 2022 |
Closest to Indonesia in the 2023 ranking
- Armenia — 4th of 8: 8.3%
- Grenada — 5th of 8: 6.34%
- Kyrgyz Republic — 6th of 8: 3.5%
- Jamaica — 8th of 8: 3.02%
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 42 values
| Year | Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 3.42 |
| 2022 | 3.46 |
| 2021 | 3.83 |
| 2020 | 4.26 |
| 2019 | 3.59 |
| 2018 | 4.39 |
| 2017 | 3.78 |
| 2016 | 4.3 |
| 2015 | 4.51 |
| 2014 | 4.05 |
| 2013 |
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) in nearby economies
- Australia — 4.17% (2025)
- Brunei Darussalam — 5.35% (2025)
- Cambodia — 3.28% (2025)
- China — 4.57% (2022)
- Fiji — 5.36% (2024)
- Guam — 5.4% (2016)
- Hong Kong SAR, China — 3.65% (2025)
- Japan — 2.5% (2025)
- Korea, Rep. — 2.79% (2025)
More social protection & labor data for Indonesia
- Net migration — -39,509 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 7,374 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 9,215 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 52.97% (2023)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate) — 64.96% (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 81.54% (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 67.35% (2023)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Indonesia's unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate)?
- 3.42% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1976?
- It is up 1.5 percentage points from 1.92% in 1976. The highest value was 8.06% in 2007 and the lowest 1.29% in 1977.
- Is the latest change in unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) unusual for Indonesia?
- In 2023, Indonesia's unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) fell 0.04 percentage points on 2022 (from 3.46% to 3.42%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was +0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.61 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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.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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