Myanmar: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 0.71 percentage points from 0.77% in 2015. Since 1985 it is down 1.33 percentage points from 2.81% in 1985. The World Bank has no value for 26 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Myanmar in the 2020 ranking

• Venezuela, RB — 1st of 4: 7.53%
• Uzbekistan — 2nd of 4: 5.29%
• Macao SAR, China — 3rd of 4: 2.54%

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 10 values

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)
• Indonesia — 3.42% (2023)
• Japan — 2.5% (2025)

More social protection & labor data for Myanmar

• Net migration — -39,661 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 1.52 million (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 39.06% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 53.03% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 46.19% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 45.32% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 74.25% (2025)

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Questions people ask

What is Myanmar's unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate)?

1.48% in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1985?

It is down 1.33 percentage points from 2.81% in 1985. The highest value was 6% in 1990 and the lowest 0.22% in 1988.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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.

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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