Unemployment rate
The unemployment rate measures the percentage of the labor force that is currently unemployed but is actively seeking employment and available to work. Those who are not seeking employment, such as students or retirees, are not included. A high unemployment rate indicates that a large proportion of the labor force is unable to find work, which can lead to reduced consumer spending, decreased production, and economic slowdown. Conversely, a low unemployment rate can indicate a strong economy with plenty of job opportunities for workers.
| Country | Latest | Prior | Change | Latest data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 28.4 % | 29.81 % | -4.73% | 2025-01-28 |
| Djibouti | 26.28 % | 27.93 % | -5.90% | 2025-01-28 |
| Botswana | 23.61 % | 20.68 % | 14.13% | 2025-01-28 |
| Eswatini | 22.19 % | 24.39 % | -9.02% | 2025-01-28 |
| Sudan | 20.81 % | 18.73 % | 11.12% | 2025-01-28 |
| Gabon | 20.36 % | 21.47 % | -5.16% | 2025-01-28 |
| Congo | 19.86 % | 21.8 % | -8.89% | 2025-01-28 |
| Namibia | 19.63 % | 20.85 % | -5.85% | 2025-01-28 |
| Somalia | 19.19 % | 20.05 % | -4.26% | 2025-01-28 |
| Jordan | 19.05 % | 17.87 % | 6.58% | 2025-01-28 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 18.59 % | 18.98 % | -2.03% | 2025-01-28 |
| Libya | 18.52 % | 20.68 % | -10.43% | 2025-01-28 |
| Tunisia | 17.72 % | 16.12 % | 9.87% | 2025-01-28 |
| Yemen | 17.53 % | 13.59 % | 29.01% | 2025-01-28 |
| Lesotho | 16.31 % | 18.04 % | -9.57% | 2025-01-28 |
| Iraq | 15.56 % | 15.55 % | 0.08% | 2025-01-28 |
| Afghanistan | 15.38 % | 14.1 % | 9.06% | 2025-01-28 |
| Rwanda | 14.95 % | 13.01 % | 14.88% | 2025-01-28 |
| Haiti | 14.86 % | 14.84 % | 0.14% | 2025-01-28 |
| Saint Lucia | 14.74 % | 17.36 % | -15.08% | 2025-01-28 |
| Montenegro | 14.39 % | 15.4 % | -6.58% | 2025-01-28 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 14.24 % | 15.32 % | -7.02% | 2025-01-28 |
| Angola | 14.22 % | 10.21 % | 39.32% | 2025-01-28 |
| Syria | 13.49 % | 9.61 % | 40.34% | 2025-01-28 |
| North Macedonia | 13.15 % | 15.08 % | -12.80% | 2025-01-28 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 12.6 % | 12.6 % | 0.00% | 2024-07-01 |
| Virgin Islands | 12.26 % | 12.38 % | -1.01% | 2025-01-28 |
| Algeria | 12.25 % | 11.55 % | 6.06% | 2025-01-28 |
| Cabo Verde | 12.07 % | 13.57 % | -11.08% | 2025-01-28 |
| South Sudan | 12.04 % | 12.98 % | -7.22% | 2025-01-28 |
| Georgia | 11.75 % | 11.31 % | 3.87% | 2025-01-28 |
| Lebanon | 11.68 % | 12.64 % | -7.57% | 2025-01-28 |
| French Polynesia | 11.67 % | 13.1 % | -10.91% | 2025-01-28 |
| Spain | 11.3 % | 11.5 % | -1.74% | 2024-08-01 |
| Albania | 11.08 % | 11.81 % | -6.14% | 2025-01-28 |
| Nepal | 10.97 % | 11.12 % | -1.36% | 2025-01-28 |
| New Caledonia | 10.83 % | 12.27 % | -11.74% | 2025-01-28 |
| Mauritania | 10.63 % | 11.11 % | -4.36% | 2025-01-28 |
| Guyana | 10.33 % | 12.36 % | -16.39% | 2025-01-28 |
| Ukraine | 9.83 % | 9.48 % | 3.69% | 2025-01-28 |
| Morocco | 9.77 % | 10.49 % | -6.86% | 2025-01-28 |
| Greece | 9.7 % | 9.9 % | -2.02% | 2024-08-01 |
| Bahamas | 9.5 % | 10.06 % | -5.50% | 2025-01-28 |
| Samoa | 9.48 % | 10.31 % | -8.04% | 2025-01-28 |
| Colombia | 9.41 % | 10.73 % | -12.23% | 2025-01-28 |
| Zimbabwe | 9.12 % | 7.95 % | 14.74% | 2025-01-28 |
| Chile | 9.07 % | 7.78 % | 16.53% | 2025-01-28 |
| Turkey | 8.9 % | 9 % | -1.11% | 2024-07-01 |
| Iran | 8.73 % | 10.96 % | -20.34% | 2025-01-28 |
| Costa Rica | 8.52 % | 11.45 % | -25.63% | 2025-01-28 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 8.52 % | 8.69 % | -2.00% | 2025-01-28 |
| Sweden | 8.4 % | 8.3 % | 1.20% | 2024-08-01 |
| Uruguay | 8.39 % | 7.84 % | 6.98% | 2025-01-28 |
| Armenia | 8.38 % | 12.56 % | -33.28% | 2025-01-28 |
| Italy | 8.3 % | 8.3 % | 0.00% | 2003-12-01 |
| Finland | 8.3 % | 8.4 % | -1.19% | 2024-08-01 |
| Belize | 8.22 % | 9.69 % | -15.15% | 2025-01-28 |
| Suriname | 8.02 % | 8.64 % | -7.22% | 2025-01-28 |
| Lithuania | 8 % | 7.7 % | 3.90% | 2024-08-01 |
| Barbados | 7.96 % | 8.2 % | -3.02% | 2025-01-28 |
| Estonia | 7.9 % | 7.5 % | 5.33% | 2024-08-01 |
| Serbia | 7.84 % | 9.47 % | -17.28% | 2025-01-28 |
| Brazil | 7.78 % | 9.46 % | -17.81% | 2025-01-28 |
| Panama | 7.65 % | 8.79 % | -12.98% | 2025-01-28 |
| France | 7.5 % | 7.5 % | 0.00% | 2024-08-01 |
| Latvia | 7 % | 6.9 % | 1.45% | 2024-08-01 |
| Tajikistan | 6.9 % | 7.83 % | -11.88% | 2025-01-28 |
| Argentina | 6.84 % | 6.49 % | 5.39% | 2025-01-28 |
| Honduras | 6.78 % | 7.1 % | -4.44% | 2025-01-28 |
| Sri Lanka | 6.64 % | 6.71 % | -0.92% | 2025-01-28 |
| Portugal | 6.4 % | 6.2 % | 3.23% | 2024-08-01 |
| Egypt | 6.27 % | 6.96 % | -9.93% | 2025-01-28 |
| Central African Republic | 6.26 % | 6.36 % | -1.68% | 2025-01-28 |
| Puerto Rico | 6.21 % | 5.97 % | 4.00% | 2025-01-28 |
| Denmark | 6.2 % | 5.9 % | 5.08% | 2024-08-01 |
| Bhutan | 6.04 % | 3.6 % | 67.51% | 2025-01-28 |
| Venezuela | 5.9 % | 5.33 % | 10.79% | 2025-01-28 |
| Luxembourg | 5.9 % | 5.8 % | 1.72% | 2024-08-01 |
| Eritrea | 5.85 % | 6.62 % | -11.59% | 2025-01-28 |
| Pakistan | 5.72 % | 6.42 % | -10.89% | 2025-01-28 |
| Comoros | 5.7 % | 8.81 % | -35.36% | 2025-01-28 |
| Azerbaijan | 5.64 % | 5.46 % | 3.26% | 2025-01-28 |
| Paraguay | 5.63 % | 6.89 % | -18.25% | 2025-01-28 |
| Dominican Republic | 5.61 % | 7.12 % | -21.28% | 2025-01-28 |
| Kenya | 5.6 % | 5.5 % | 1.80% | 2025-01-28 |
| Guam | 5.54 % | 6.13 % | -9.72% | 2025-01-28 |
| Canada | 5.42 % | 5.21 % | 4.01% | 2025-01-28 |
| Mongolia | 5.41 % | 8.25 % | -34.45% | 2025-01-28 |
| Guinea | 5.4 % | 5.75 % | -6.02% | 2025-01-28 |
| Belgium | 5.4 % | 5.4 % | 0.00% | 2024-08-01 |
| Jamaica | 5.38 % | 6.05 % | -11.11% | 2025-01-28 |
| Slovakia | 5.3 % | 5.3 % | 0.00% | 2024-08-01 |
| Romania | 5.3 % | 5.3 % | 0.00% | 2024-08-01 |
| Cyprus | 5.3 % | 5.3 % | 0.00% | 2024-08-01 |
| Vanuatu | 5.23 % | 2.09 % | 150.26% | 2025-01-28 |
| Austria | 5.2 % | 5.2 % | 0.00% | 2024-08-01 |
| Malawi | 5.03 % | 5.61 % | -10.47% | 2025-01-28 |
| Saudi Arabia | 5.01 % | 5.64 % | -11.14% | 2025-01-28 |
| Burkina Faso | 5 % | 5.18 % | -3.36% | 2025-01-28 |
| China | 4.97 % | 4.89 % | 1.66% | 2025-01-28 |
| United Kingdom | 4.9 % | 4.7 % | 4.26% | 2020-09-01 |
| Croatia | 4.9 % | 5 % | -2.00% | 2024-08-01 |
| Mauritius | 4.89 % | 7.23 % | -32.46% | 2025-01-28 |
| Nicaragua | 4.75 % | 5.57 % | -14.72% | 2025-01-28 |
| India | 4.67 % | 7.33 % | -36.32% | 2025-01-28 |
| Kazakhstan | 4.66 % | 5.01 % | -6.89% | 2025-01-28 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 4.5 % | 4.99 % | -9.79% | 2025-01-28 |
| Brunei | 4.46 % | 7.2 % | -38.04% | 2025-01-28 |
| Uzbekistan | 4.33 % | 6.01 % | -27.97% | 2025-01-28 |
| Switzerland | 4.3 % | 4.3 % | 0.00% | 2024-06-01 |
| Ireland | 4.3 % | 4.4 % | -2.27% | 2024-09-01 |
| Hungary | 4.3 % | 4.3 % | 0.00% | 2024-08-01 |
| Fiji | 4.25 % | 4.33 % | -1.98% | 2025-01-28 |
| Zambia | 4.22 % | 6.13 % | -31.17% | 2025-01-28 |
| Maldives | 4.22 % | 4.88 % | -13.66% | 2025-01-28 |
| United States of America | 4.2 % | 4.3 % | -2.33% | 2024-08-01 |
| Bangladesh | 4.19 % | 4.7 % | -10.92% | 2025-01-28 |
| Gambia | 4.14 % | 4.78 % | -13.45% | 2025-01-28 |
| Turkmenistan | 4.1 % | 5.02 % | -18.29% | 2025-01-28 |
| Bolivia | 4.06 % | 4.42 % | -8.15% | 2025-01-28 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 4.04 % | 4.57 % | -11.52% | 2025-01-28 |
| Hong Kong | 4.03 % | 5.06 % | -20.40% | 2025-01-28 |
| Norway | 4 % | 4 % | 0.00% | 2024-08-01 |
| Bulgaria | 4 % | 4 % | 0.00% | 2024-08-01 |
| Laos | 3.79 % | 2.63 % | 43.83% | 2025-01-28 |
| New Zealand | 3.73 % | 3.25 % | 14.66% | 2025-01-28 |
| Togo | 3.72 % | 4.07 % | -8.41% | 2025-01-28 |
| Netherlands | 3.7 % | 3.6 % | 2.78% | 2024-08-01 |
| Cameroon | 3.7 % | 4 % | -7.62% | 2025-01-28 |
| Mozambique | 3.67 % | 3.91 % | -5.94% | 2025-01-28 |
| Australia | 3.62 % | 3.66 % | -1.17% | 2025-01-28 |
| Malaysia | 3.61 % | 3.73 % | -3.22% | 2025-01-28 |
| Nigeria | 3.58 % | 5.76 % | -37.93% | 2025-01-28 |
| Ghana | 3.56 % | 3.87 % | -8.02% | 2025-01-28 |
| Ecuador | 3.55 % | 3.96 % | -10.19% | 2025-01-28 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 3.54 % | 3.98 % | -11.15% | 2025-01-28 |
| Peru | 3.51 % | 3.66 % | -4.23% | 2025-01-28 |
| Germany | 3.5 % | 3.4 % | 2.94% | 2024-08-01 |
| Belarus | 3.47 % | 4.17 % | -16.86% | 2025-01-28 |
| Israel | 3.35 % | 3.48 % | -3.57% | 2025-01-28 |
| Ethiopia | 3.33 % | 4.02 % | -17.10% | 2025-01-28 |
| Slovenia | 3.3 % | 3.3 % | 0.00% | 2024-08-01 |
| Indonesia | 3.28 % | 3.55 % | -7.79% | 2025-01-28 |
| Mali | 3.25 % | 2.76 % | 17.78% | 2025-01-28 |
| Sierra Leone | 3.21 % | 3.64 % | -11.83% | 2025-01-28 |
| Singapore | 3.2 % | 2.76 % | 15.99% | 2025-01-28 |
| Russia | 3.16 % | 3.87 % | -18.31% | 2025-01-28 |
| Guatemala | 3.16 % | 2.57 % | 22.81% | 2025-01-28 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 3.12 % | 3.58 % | -12.95% | 2025-01-28 |
| Malta | 3.1 % | 3 % | 3.33% | 2024-08-01 |
| Iceland | 3.1 % | 3.1 % | 0.00% | 2024-07-01 |
| Korea (Democratic People's Republic of) | 3.01 % | 2.96 % | 1.52% | 2025-01-28 |
| Senegal | 2.97 % | 3.43 % | -13.66% | 2025-01-28 |
| United Arab Emirates | 2.95 % | 2.75 % | 7.23% | 2025-01-28 |
| Myanmar | 2.92 % | 2.96 % | -1.12% | 2025-01-28 |
| Poland | 2.9 % | 2.9 % | 0.00% | 2024-08-01 |
| Uganda | 2.85 % | 4.28 % | -33.39% | 2025-01-28 |
| Liberia | 2.85 % | 3.63 % | -21.57% | 2025-01-28 |
| Mexico | 2.82 % | 3.31 % | -14.72% | 2025-01-28 |
| El Salvador | 2.77 % | 3.82 % | -27.63% | 2025-01-28 |
| Papua New Guinea | 2.74 % | 2.75 % | -0.51% | 2025-01-28 |
| South Korea | 2.66 % | 2.79 % | -4.56% | 2025-01-28 |
| Czechia | 2.6 % | 2.7 % | -3.70% | 2024-08-01 |
| Tanzania | 2.56 % | 2.76 % | -7.46% | 2025-01-28 |
| Japan | 2.5 % | 2.7 % | -7.41% | 2024-08-01 |
| Ivory Coast | 2.43 % | 2.64 % | -7.89% | 2025-01-28 |
| Tonga | 2.37 % | 3.01 % | -21.45% | 2025-01-28 |
| Philippines | 2.24 % | 2.24 % | 0.27% | 2025-01-28 |
| Kuwait | 2.12 % | 2.48 % | -14.42% | 2025-01-28 |
| Madagascar | 1.82 % | 2.14 % | -15.03% | 2025-01-28 |
| Timor-Leste | 1.79 % | 4.86 % | -63.20% | 2025-01-28 |
| Vietnam | 1.65 % | 1.92 % | -13.99% | 2025-01-28 |
| Macao | 1.65 % | 2.63 % | -37.38% | 2025-01-28 |
| Solomon Islands | 1.6 % | 1.54 % | 3.76% | 2025-01-28 |
| Moldova | 1.55 % | 2.28 % | -31.96% | 2025-01-28 |
| Oman | 1.5 % | 2.33 % | -35.75% | 2025-01-28 |
| Benin | 1.41 % | 1.65 % | -14.69% | 2025-01-28 |
| Bahrain | 1.3 % | 1.4 % | -6.86% | 2025-01-28 |
| Cuba | 1.18 % | 1.39 % | -15.08% | 2025-01-28 |
| Chad | 0.99 % | 1.41 % | -29.75% | 2025-01-28 |
| Thailand | 0.89 % | 0.86 % | 3.25% | 2025-01-28 |
| Burundi | 0.86 % | 1.02 % | -15.69% | 2025-01-28 |
| Niger | 0.53 % | 0.53 % | -0.19% | 2025-01-28 |
| Cambodia | 0.22 % | 0.36 % | -39.89% | 2025-01-28 |
| Qatar | 0.13 % | 0.1 % | 38.95% | 2025-01-28 |