Ecuador: Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education)

Key figures

Since 2000 it is down 1.74 percentage points from 3.09% in 2000. The World Bank has no value for 2 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2025, Ecuador's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) fell 0.16 percentage points on 2024 (from 1.51% to 1.35%).

Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2024), the average change was −0.23 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.54 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 0.72 percentage points in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.43 percentage points in 2005. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.11 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 58% 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, Ecuador had the 17th highest value of the 17 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 Ecuador in the 2025 ranking

• Honduras — 14th of 17: 4.18%
• Korea, Rep. — 15th of 17: 3.37%
• Peru — 16th of 17: 3%

What this measures

The percentage of the labor force with a basic level of education who are unemployed. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 24 values

Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 2.12% (2024)
• Bolivia — 1.81% (2024)
• Brazil — 6.99% (2025)
• Chile — 8.68% (2025)
• Colombia — 7.24% (2025)
• Costa Rica — 6.14% (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 5.17% (2025)
• El Salvador — 2.05% (2024)

More social protection & labor data for Ecuador

• Net migration — -17,219 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 26,428 (2025)
• Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 3.23% (2025)
• Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 4.07% (2025)
• Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) — 2.64% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) (national estimate) — 64.3% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate) — 32.31% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Ecuador's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education)?

1.35% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is down 1.74 percentage points from 3.09% in 2000. The highest value was 5.71% in 2003 and the lowest 1.35% in 2025.

How does Ecuador rank?

17th highest of 17 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) unusual for Ecuador?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.BASC.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: March 30, 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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