China Unemployment rate (annual) in China

International Monetary Fund · Annual · Importance

IMF forecast (WEO): 2026: 5.1% 2027: 5.1% 2028: 5.1% 2029: 5.1% 2030: 5.1% 2031: 5.1%
5.1% (2031) ANUAL · % · Annual · CSV
Period%
Jan 2031 5.1%
Jan 2030 5.1%
Jan 2029 5.1%
Jan 2028 5.1%
Jan 2027 5.1%
Jan 2026 5.1%
Jan 2025 5.1%
Jan 2024 5.1%
Jan 2023 5.2%
Jan 2022 5.6%
Jan 2021 5.1%
Jan 2020 5.6%
Jan 2019 5.2%
Jan 2018 4.9%
Jan 2017 5.0%

About this indicator

Source
International Monetary Fund
Frequency
Annual
Release
Published annually, covering the full year and subject to revision.
What it is
China's annual unemployment rate is the share of jobless people in the labour force. The official gauge is the surveyed urban unemployment rate published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
How it's calculated
It comes from a monthly household survey in urban areas, following ILO criteria: a jobless person available for and actively seeking work. The annual rate summarises the urban gauge over the year.
Market implications
Its trend gauges labour-market health and the economy's job-creating capacity amid soft domestic demand. It is a politically sensitive variable in China and a key input to Beijing's room for stimulus.
Limitations
The surveyed urban rate excludes rural migrant workers and does not cover rural unemployment, so it understates true labour-market slack. Youth unemployment is reported separately and has been subject to suspensions and methodological changes.