Switzerland vs United States: Unemployment rate
Unemployment rate over time
- Switzerland
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 4.28 against 3.89 in Switzerland, a difference of 0.39.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times Switzerland's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 11 shared years of data; in 2014 it was United States ahead.
Switzerland ranks 36th and United States ranks 34th of 41 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Switzerland | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.17 | 4.71 | 0.5347 | United States |
| 2020s | 4.26 | 4.94 | 0.6824 | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher unemployment rate, Switzerland or United States?
- United States, at 4.28 against 3.89 in Switzerland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in unemployment rate between Switzerland and United States?
- 0.39, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Switzerland and United States?
- 11 years are reported by both, from 2014 to 2024.
- How do Switzerland and United States rank globally for unemployment rate?
- Switzerland ranks 36th and United States ranks 34th of 41 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization, published as Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. The unemployment rate conveys the number of persons who are unemployed as a percent of the labour force (i.e., the employed plus the unemployed). The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.