Check Pakistan's Unemployment Rate and Average Wage: 7.1% and Rs 39,042 in 2024-25
Pakistan's unemployment rate was 7.1% in 2024-25 and the average employee earned Rs 39,042 a month, PBS says. See rates by age, sex, province and area.
Short answer: Pakistan's unemployment rate was 7.1 per cent in 2024-25, and employees earned an average of Rs 39,042 a month, says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) Labour Force Survey. Women face 10.5 per cent unemployment against 6.0 per cent for men. City employees average Rs 44,171 and village employees Rs 35,508.
If you are 22 and looking for your first job, the national 7.1 per cent will not describe your odds. The survey table does. In the 20 to 24 age group, 12.3 out of every 100 people in the labour force had no work. This page shows the numbers for your age, sex and province, and how to read them.
We read the PBS Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2024-25 tables on 12 October 2026: Table 15 on participation and unemployment, and Table 44 on average monthly pay. The PBS home page shows the same headline numbers.
Seven in 100 people in the labour force had no job
The unemployment rate is the share of people in the labour force who are looking for work and have none. The labour force is the working and the job-seeking. Someone who has stopped looking is not counted.
Overall unemployment in 2024-25 was 7.1 per cent. Participation was 46.3 per cent, meaning 46 of every 100 people aged 10 and over were working or looking. PBS also publishes a refined participation rate, which we have not used here.
| Group | In labour force | Unemployment rate |
|---|---|---|
| All Pakistan | 46.3% | 7.1% |
| Men | 68.7% | 6.0% |
| Women | 22.7% | 10.5% |
| Rural areas | 50.3% | 6.5% |
| Urban areas | 40.2% | 8.2% |
Young people face unemployment of 12 to 14 per cent
Unemployment is highest at the start of working life. For ages 15 to 19 it was 13.6 per cent, and for 20 to 24 it was 12.3 per cent. It falls steadily with age, to 3.1 per cent at 45 to 49.
Among young women the numbers are higher. Women aged 20 to 24 had 16.6 per cent unemployment and women aged 25 to 29 had 17.1 per cent. Among urban women of all ages the rate was 18.1 per cent.
- Ages 15 to 19: 13.6 per cent.
- Ages 20 to 24: 12.3 per cent.
- Ages 25 to 29: 9.8 per cent.
- Ages 30 to 34: 6.6 per cent.
- Ages 35 to 39: 4.4 per cent.
The women's rate understates the gap. Only 22.7 per cent of women are in the labour force at all, against 68.7 per cent of men. Women who are not looking for work are counted as outside the labour force, not as unemployed.
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The average employee earns Rs 39,042 a month
PBS measures the average monthly payment to employees. It was Rs 39,042 in 2024-25. Men averaged Rs 39,302 and women Rs 37,347. The difference is Rs 1,955 a month, by our subtraction.
| Area | Average monthly pay |
|---|---|
| Balochistan | Rs 41,780 |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Rs 39,974 |
| Sindh | Rs 39,801 |
| Punjab | Rs 38,189 |
| Urban Pakistan | Rs 44,171 |
| Rural Pakistan | Rs 35,508 |
These are averages of everyone who works for pay, including part-time and casual workers. They are not the same as a legal minimum wage. Provinces set their own, and some have announced or reported higher figures for 2026-27. See our notes on the Islamabad minimum wage claim and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minimum wage notification.
What the survey does not tell you
The survey covers 2024-25. It is a sample, not a count of every worker. It does not say how many people want to leave Pakistan for work or how many have given up looking.
The wage figure is an average, so a few high salaries pull it up. A household earning from several workers will do better than one salary suggests. Our page on average household income shows the total family picture from the companion PBS survey.
For a job search today, the survey is a guide to who is struggling most, not a forecast of this month's openings.
One more caution on pay. The table counts employees only. Farmers working their own land, shop owners and day labourers who are self-employed are not in the average payment figure, so it describes people paid by an employer, not every earner in the country.
Common questions
What is Pakistan's unemployment rate?
It was 7.1 per cent in 2024-25, according to the PBS Labour Force Survey. For men it was 6.0 per cent and for women 10.5 per cent.
What is the average salary in Pakistan?
The average monthly payment to employees was Rs 39,042 in 2024-25. It was Rs 44,171 in cities and Rs 35,508 in villages.
Which age group has the highest unemployment?
Ages 15 to 19 had 13.6 per cent and ages 20 to 24 had 12.3 per cent. Older groups were below 10 per cent.
Which province pays the highest average wage?
Balochistan, at Rs 41,780 a month in the survey. Punjab was lowest at Rs 38,189.
Is the average wage the same as the minimum wage?
No. The average is what employees were paid. A minimum wage is a legal floor set by a government notification.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Labour Force Statistics page and its LFS 2024-25 tables 15 and 44 on 12 October 2026. For where else to find the main economy numbers, see how to check them on official pages.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
