Kosovo's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) was 18.25% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 23.31 percentage points from 41.57% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 18.25% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 34.03% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 41.57% | 2014 |
| Highest | 74.5% | 2002 |
| Lowest | 12.69% | 2000 |
| Average since 2015 | 27.87% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 12.69% | 2000 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Kosovo's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) rose 0.46 percentage points on 2023 (from 17.79% to 18.25%).
Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was +1.08 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 14.03 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 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 57.31 percentage points in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 11.2 percentage points in 2004. 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 2.34 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 78% 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
In 2024, Kosovo had the 4th highest value of the 22 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Kosovo | 18.25% | 2024 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 5.56% | 2025 |
Closest to Kosovo in the 2024 ranking
- South Africa — 1st of 22: 34.45%
- Botswana — 2nd of 22: 26.4%
- Jordan — 3rd of 22: 25.01%
- Malawi — 5th of 22: 18%
- Iran, Islamic Rep. — 6th of 22: 14.27%
- Montenegro — 7th of 22: 12.32%
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 23 values
| Year | Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 18.25 |
| 2023 | 17.79 |
| 2022 | 15.92 |
| 2021 | 24.8 |
| 2020 | 32.05 |
| 2019 | 34.03 |
| 2018 | 31.28 |
| 2017 | 36.4 |
| 2016 | 31.71 |
| 2015 | 36.51 |
| 2014 |
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) in nearby economies
- Albania — 9.09% (2024)
- Armenia — 9.44% (2023)
- Austria — 5.45% (2025)
- Azerbaijan — 6.5% (2022)
- Belarus — 2.15% (2025)
- Belgium — 5.64% (2025)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 13.96% (2025)
- Bulgaria — 3.34% (2025)
- Croatia
More social protection & labor data for Kosovo
- Net migration — -18,380 (2025)
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) — 7.68% (2024)
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 10.83% (2024)
- Employment to population ratio, 15+, female (%) (national estimate) — 18.39% (2024)
- Employment to population ratio, 15+, male (%) (national estimate) — 49.52% (2024)
- Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) — 33.84% (2024)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 22.49% (2024)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Kosovo's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate)?
- 18.25% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2000?
- It is up 5.57 percentage points from 12.69% in 2000. The highest value was 74.5% in 2002 and the lowest 12.69% in 2000.
- How does Kosovo rank?
- 4th highest of 22 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) unusual for Kosovo?
- In 2024, Kosovo's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) rose 0.46 percentage points on 2023 (from 17.79% to 18.25%). Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was +1.08 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 14.03 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 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.FE.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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