Of the economies in the World Bank's latest release, Namibia has the highest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) (35.19% in 2023) and Tajikistan the lowest (0.08% in 2016). The world figure is 5.08% (2022).
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.
Each country's latest available year is shown; countries report on different schedules, so compare years before comparing values.
Ranking
| # | Economy | Latest value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namibia | 35.19% | 2023 |
| 2 | South Africa | 32.28% | 2024 |
| 3 | West Bank and Gaza | 28.71% | 2025 |
| 4 | Botswana | 24.43% | 2024 |
| 5 | Jordan | 16.8% | 2024 |
| 6 | Malawi | 15.41% | 2024 |
| 7 | Tunisia | 15.11% | 2023 |
| 8 | Morocco | 11.79% | 2022 |
| 9 | Algeria | 11.71% | 2017 |
| 10 | Montenegro | 11.53% | 2024 |
| 11 | North Macedonia | 11.53% | 2025 |
| 12 | Kosovo | 10.83% | 2024 |
| 13 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 10.73% | 2025 |
| 14 | Spain | 10.5% | 2025 |
| 15 | Angola | 10.39% | 2025 |
| 16 | New Caledonia | 10.15% | 2023 |
| 17 | Ukraine | 9.83% | 2021 |
| 18 | Finland | 9.61% | 2025 |
| 19 | Zimbabwe | 9.16% | 2025 |
| 20 | Greenland | 9.1% | 2015 |
| 21 | Belize | 9.05% | 2019 |
| 22 | Chile | 8.89% | 2025 |
| 23 | Greece | 8.84% | 2025 |
| 24 | Sweden | 8.74% | 2025 |
| 25 | Albania | 8.43% | 2024 |
| 26 | Colombia | 8.43% | 2025 |
| 27 | Türkiye | 8.35% | 2025 |
| 28 | Panama | 8.31% | 2025 |
| 29 | Armenia | 8.3% | 2023 |
| 30 | Georgia | 8.2% | 2025 |
| 31 | Bahamas, The | 8.15% | 2024 |
| 32 | São Tomé and Principe | 7.96% | 2017 |
| 33 | Suriname | 7.92% | 2016 |
| 34 | France | 7.7% | 2025 |
| 35 | St. Lucia | 7.66% | 2025 |
| 36 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 7.63% | 2024 |
| 37 | Venezuela, RB | 7.53% | 2020 |
| 38 | Estonia | 7.44% | 2025 |
| 39 | Argentina | 7.38% | 2025 |
| 40 | Uruguay | 7.34% | 2025 |
| 41 | Serbia | 7.3% | 2025 |
| 42 | Burkina Faso | 7.09% | 2025 |
| 43 | Pakistan | 6.96% | 2025 |
| 44 | Latvia | 6.89% | 2025 |
| 45 | Lithuania | 6.87% | 2025 |
| 46 | Canada | 6.82% | 2025 |
| 47 | Luxembourg | 6.48% | 2025 |
| 48 | Costa Rica | 6.34% | 2025 |
| 49 | Grenada | 6.34% | 2023 |
| 50 | Denmark | 6.32% | 2025 |
| 51 | Belgium | 6.18% | 2025 |
| 52 | Italy | 6.13% | 2025 |
| 53 | Romania | 6.11% | 2025 |
| 54 | Barbados | 6.03% | 2024 |
| 55 | Portugal | 6.01% | 2025 |
| 56 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 5.95% | 2024 |
| 57 | Brazil | 5.83% | 2025 |
| 58 | Mauritius | 5.83% | 2024 |
| 59 | Austria | 5.78% | 2025 |
| 60 | Azerbaijan | 5.7% | 2022 |
| 61 | Zambia | 5.67% | 2024 |
| 62 | Puerto Rico (US) | 5.6% | 2025 |
| 63 | Slovak Republic | 5.42% | 2025 |
| 64 | Mongolia | 5.41% | 2025 |
| 65 | Guam | 5.4% | 2016 |
| 66 | Rwanda | 5.36% | 2025 |
| 67 | Fiji | 5.36% | 2024 |
| 68 | Brunei Darussalam | 5.35% | 2025 |
| 69 | Uzbekistan | 5.29% | 2020 |
| 70 | New Zealand | 5.26% | 2025 |
| 71 | Nicaragua | 5.2% | 2018 |
| 72 | Dominican Republic | 5.17% | 2025 |
| 73 | San Marino | 4.92% | 2022 |
| 74 | Kazakhstan | 4.9% | 2022 |
| 75 | United Kingdom | 4.9% | 2025 |
| 76 | Croatia | 4.85% | 2025 |
| 77 | Honduras | 4.85% | 2025 |
| 78 | Switzerland | 4.84% | 2025 |
| 79 | Ireland | 4.64% | 2025 |
| 80 | Senegal | 4.57% | 2025 |
| 81 | China | 4.57% | 2022 |
| 82 | Paraguay | 4.53% | 2025 |
| 83 | India | 4.51% | 2025 |
| 84 | Mali | 4.5% | 2024 |
| 85 | Norway | 4.46% | 2025 |
| 86 | Iceland | 4.43% | 2025 |
| 87 | Hungary | 4.42% | 2025 |
| 88 | Cyprus | 4.35% | 2025 |
| 89 | Peru | 4.32% | 2025 |
| 90 | Sri Lanka | 4.32% | 2024 |
| 91 | United States | 4.28% | 2025 |
| 92 | Cayman Islands | 4.2% | 2015 |
| 93 | Australia | 4.17% | 2025 |
| 94 | Trinidad and Tobago | 4.01% | 2024 |
| 95 | Malaysia | 3.9% | 2022 |
| 96 | Slovenia | 3.88% | 2025 |
| 97 | Netherlands | 3.85% | 2025 |
| 98 | Germany | 3.82% | 2025 |
| 99 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 3.65% | 2025 |
| 100 | Bangladesh | 3.64% | 2024 |
| 101 | Bulgaria | 3.52% | 2025 |
| 102 | Kyrgyz Republic | 3.5% | 2023 |
| 103 | Nigeria | 3.45% | 2024 |
| 104 | Indonesia | 3.42% | 2023 |
| 105 | Uganda | 3.42% | 2021 |
| 106 | Bhutan | 3.36% | 2025 |
| 107 | Oman | 3.3% | 2024 |
| 108 | Cambodia | 3.28% | 2025 |
| 109 | Singapore | 3.26% | 2025 |
| 110 | Saudi Arabia | 3.24% | 2025 |
| 111 | Ecuador | 3.23% | 2025 |
| 112 | Ghana | 3.23% | 2025 |
| 113 | Malta | 3.05% | 2025 |
| 114 | Jamaica | 3.02% | 2023 |
| 115 | Poland | 3.02% | 2025 |
| 116 | Israel | 3% | 2025 |
| 117 | El Salvador | 2.93% | 2025 |
| 118 | Korea, Rep. | 2.79% | 2025 |
| 119 | Czechia | 2.79% | 2025 |
| 120 | Tanzania | 2.78% | 2025 |
| 121 | Isle of Man | 2.67% | 2016 |
| 122 | Seychelles | 2.58% | 2025 |
| 123 | Macao SAR, China | 2.54% | 2020 |
| 124 | Mexico | 2.54% | 2025 |
| 125 | Belarus | 2.53% | 2025 |
| 126 | Bolivia | 2.52% | 2025 |
| 127 | Japan | 2.5% | 2025 |
| 128 | Philippines | 2.36% | 2024 |
| 129 | Guatemala | 2.33% | 2025 |
| 130 | Liechtenstein | 2.31% | 2017 |
| 131 | Kuwait | 2.16% | 2016 |
| 132 | Russian Federation | 2.14% | 2025 |
| 133 | United Arab Emirates | 1.74% | 2025 |
| 134 | Cuba | 1.7% | 2018 |
| 135 | Viet Nam | 1.53% | 2024 |
| 136 | Myanmar | 1.48% | 2020 |
| 137 | Moldova | 1.28% | 2025 |
| 138 | Bahrain | 0.89% | 2015 |
| 139 | Thailand | 0.6% | 2025 |
| 140 | Qatar | 0.1% | 2024 |
| 141 | Tajikistan | 0.08% | 2016 |
Regions and income groups
More social protection & labor indicators
- Employment in agriculture, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employers, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employers, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
Reading data like this
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, SL.UEM.TOTL.NE.ZS, 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 View on data.worldbank.org; the full definition is in the World Bank's metadata glossary.
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