Latest full year
Estimated0.8%
±0.0 points vs 2024 (0.8%)
- Period
- 2025
- Source
- Source: World Bank
Economy statistics
Thailand Unemployment Rate
Thailand's unemployment rate was 0.8% of the labour force in 2025, according to the International Labour Organization's modelled estimate published by the World Bank.
- Data through
- 2025
- Published
- Updated
- Source retrieved
Trend
Includes provisional or estimated values; the table shows each value’s status. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators.
What the figures show
The rate peaked at 3.4% in 1998 and was lowest at 0.2% in 2013. It rose to 1.1% in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 0.7% in 2019.
Why the rate is so low
Thailand's unemployment rate is among the lowest in the world, but it does not mean everyone has a good job. Under the international definition, anyone who worked for at least one hour in the reference week counts as employed. A large share of Thai workers are self-employed, farm, or work informally, and many move between farm work and other jobs through the year instead of registering as unemployed. There is also little unemployment insurance to support a long job search. Underemployment and low pay are therefore better measures of labour-market weakness than unemployment alone.
About this data
These are International Labour Organization modelled estimates (World Bank indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS), harmonised so countries can be compared. Thailand's National Statistical Office publishes its own quarterly rate from the Labour Force Survey, which can differ slightly.
Historical data
| Period | Per cent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025Estimated | 0.8% | 0.0% |
| 2024Estimated | 0.8% | +6.5% |
| 2023Estimated | 0.7% | −22.0% |
| 2022Estimated | 0.9% | −22.6% |
| 2021Estimated | 1.2% | +10.6% |
| 2020Estimated | 1.1% | +53.5% |
| 2019Estimated | 0.7% | −6.4% |
| 2018Estimated | 0.8% | −7.8% |
| 2017Estimated | 0.8% | +20.6% |
| 2016Estimated | 0.7% | +15.2% |
| 2015Estimated | 0.6% | +3.6% |
| 2014Estimated | 0.6% | +131.3% |
| 2013Estimated | 0.2% | −57.1% |
| 2012Estimated | 0.6% | −12.1% |
| 2011Estimated | 0.7% | +6.1% |
| 2010Estimated | 0.6% | −58.3% |
| 2009Estimated | 1.5% | +26.3% |
| 2008Estimated | 1.2% | 0.0% |
| 2007Estimated | 1.2% | −3.3% |
| 2006Estimated | 1.2% | −9.6% |
| 2005Estimated | 1.4% | −10.6% |
| 2004Estimated | 1.5% | −1.9% |
| 2003Estimated | 1.5% | −15.4% |
| 2002Estimated | 1.8% | −30.0% |
| 2001Estimated | 2.6% | +8.8% |
| 2000Estimated | 2.4% | −19.5% |
| 1999Estimated | 3.0% | −12.8% |
| 1998Estimated | 3.4% | +289.9% |
| 1997Estimated | 0.9% | −18.5% |
| 1996Estimated | 1.1% | −2.6% |
| 1995Estimated | 1.1% | −18.3% |
| 1994Estimated | 1.3% | −9.6% |
| 1993Estimated | 1.5% | +10.4% |
| 1992Estimated | 1.4% | −48.7% |
| 1991Estimated | 2.6% | — |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators.
Methodology
FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG: Inflation as measured by the consumer price index reflects the annual percentage change in the cost to the average consumer of acquiring a basket of goods and services that may be fixed or changed at specified intervals, such as yearly. SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS: Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.
World Bank WDI figures are revised when the World Bank or the underlying national and UN sources revise them; the retrieval date is shown.
Unemployment is the International Labour Organization's modelled estimate, harmonised across countries; Thailand's National Statistical Office publishes its own Labour Force Survey rate, which can differ slightly.
Sources
Latest source release: 13 July 2026. Retrieved by ThailandStats: 23 September 2026.
Inflation and unemployment in Thailand (World Bank)
- Publisher
- World Bank(opens in a new tab)
- Source
- World Development Indicators
- Dataset
- World Development Indicators: Inflation, consumer prices (FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG), Unemployment, total (% of labour force, modelled ILO estimate) (SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS)
- Last updated by publisher
- 13 July 2026
- Retrieved
- 23 September 2026
- Original dataset
- View original(opens in a new tab)
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0 (World Bank)
- ThailandStats dataset
- Inflation and unemployment in Thailand (World Bank)
Source releases used (2)
- World Bank WDI FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG: Inflation, consumer prices (annual %)(opens in a new tab)Release as at 13 July 2026 · retrieved 23 September 2026 · SHA-256 e2ed1a7b2df2…
- World Bank WDI SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate)(opens in a new tab)Release as at 13 July 2026 · retrieved 23 September 2026 · SHA-256 55ffd590e772…
Download the data
Cite this page
ThailandStats (2026). Thailand Unemployment Rate. Updated 24 September 2026. https://thailandstats.com/economy/unemployment
Please also cite the original publisher named under Sources.