Sweden's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) was 25.73% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 6.65 percentage points from 19.08% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 25.73% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 20.59% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 19.08% | 2014 |
| Highest | 27.73% | 2021 |
| Lowest | 7.81% | 2001 |
| Average since 2015 | 22.25% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 11.06% | 1995 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Sweden's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) rose 1.56 percentage points on 2023 (from 24.18% to 25.73%).
Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2023), the average change was +0.47 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.83 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 4.02 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.31 percentage points in 2000. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.98 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 72% of the movement over 10 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 2024, Sweden had the 3rd highest value of the 63 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 25.73% | 2024 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 10.75% | 2024 |
| High income | 9.59% | 2024 |
Closest to Sweden in the 2024 ranking
- Slovak Republic — 1st of 63: 40.09%
- South Africa — 2nd of 63: 39.28%
- Montenegro — 4th of 63: 23.12%
- Kosovo — 5th of 63: 21.37%
- Angola — 6th of 63: 20.53%
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 30 values
| Year | Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 25.73 |
| 2023 | 24.18 |
| 2022 | 24.68 |
| 2021 | 27.73 |
| 2020 | 24.61 |
| 2019 | 20.59 |
| 2018 | 18.71 |
| 2017 | 18.53 |
| 2016 | 18.84 |
| 2015 | 18.86 |
Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) in nearby economies
- Albania — 7.58% (2024)
- Armenia — 10.27% (2023)
- Austria — 13.58% (2025)
- Azerbaijan — 12.31% (2022)
- Belarus — 7.74% (2024)
- Belgium — 11.72% (2024)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 14.3% (2024)
- Bulgaria — 13.69% (2024)
More social protection & labor data for Sweden
- Net migration — 47,079 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 144,116 (2025)
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 8.71% (2025)
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) — 8.77% (2025)
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 8.74% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate) — 57.25% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate) — 57.23% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Sweden's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education)?
- 25.73% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1995?
- It is up 14.68 percentage points from 11.06% in 1995. The highest value was 27.73% in 2021 and the lowest 7.81% in 2001.
- How does Sweden rank?
- 3rd highest of 63 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) unusual for Sweden?
- In 2024, Sweden's unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education) rose 1.56 percentage points on 2023 (from 24.18% to 25.73%). Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2023), the average change was +0.47 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.83 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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.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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