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

Key figures

Over five years it is down 2.05 percentage points from 7.41% in 2020. Since 1975 it is down 2.9 percentage points from 8.25% in 1975. The World Bank has no value for 29 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2025, Brunei Darussalam's unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) rose 0.48 percentage points on 2024 (from 4.87% to 5.35%).

Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1976 to 2024), the average change was −0.44 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.8 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.15 percentage points in 1982 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.27 percentage points in 1981. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2017 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.54 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 74% of the movement over 9 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Brunei Darussalam had the 39th highest value of the 84 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Brunei Darussalam in the 2025 ranking

• Slovak Republic — 36th of 84: 5.42%
• Mongolia — 37th of 84: 5.41%
• Rwanda — 38th of 84: 5.36%
• New Zealand — 40th of 84: 5.26%
• Dominican Republic — 41st of 84: 5.17%
• United Kingdom — 42nd of 84: 4.9%

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 22 values

Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Australia — 4.17% (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)
• Korea, Rep. — 2.79% (2025)

More social protection & labor data for Brunei Darussalam

• Net migration — 0 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 26.39% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 42.8% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 34.94% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 59.76% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 77.93% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

5.35% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is down 2.9 percentage points from 8.25% in 1975. The highest value was 10.04% in 1979 and the lowest 1.72% in 2011.

How does Brunei Darussalam rank?

39th highest of 84 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) unusual for Brunei Darussalam?

In 2025, Brunei Darussalam's unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) rose 0.48 percentage points on 2024 (from 4.87% to 5.35%). Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1976 to 2024), the average change was −0.44 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.8 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

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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