Which has higher unemployment, total (% of total labor force), Puerto Rico or Zambia?

Zambia, at 5.7% against 5.6% in Puerto Rico as of 2024.

How many years of comparable data are there for Puerto Rico and Zambia?

20 years are reported by both, from 1986 to 2024.

Where does this data come from?

Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Puerto Rico vs Zambia: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)

Puerto Rico

5.6%

in 2025

Zambia

5.7%

in 2024

Puerto Rico rank

89th

Zambia rank

88th

Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) over time

Puerto Rico
Zambia

How they compare

Zambia currently reports 5.7% against 5.6% in Puerto Rico, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 20 shared years of data; in 1986 it was Puerto Rico ahead.

Puerto Rico ranks 89th and Zambia ranks 88th of 187 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Puerto Rico averaged higher in 3 and Zambia in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Puerto Rico	Zambia	Difference	Ahead
1980s	19.5%	13.0%	6.5%	Puerto Rico
1990s	15.3%	16.3%	1.0%	Zambia
2000s	11.0%	12.3%	1.3%	Zambia
2010s	11.8%	8.0%	3.8%	Puerto Rico
2020s	8.1%	5.8%	2.4%	Puerto Rico

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher unemployment, total (% of total labor force), Puerto Rico or Zambia?: Zambia, at 5.7% against 5.6% in Puerto Rico as of 2024.
What is the difference in unemployment, total (% of total labor force) between Puerto Rico and Zambia?: 0.1%, with Zambia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Puerto Rico and Zambia?: 20 years are reported by both, from 1986 to 2024.
How do Puerto Rico and Zambia rank globally for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?: Puerto Rico ranks 89th and Zambia ranks 88th of 187 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Puerto Rico vs Zambia: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force). Statizoid, drawing on Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/unemployment-total-percent-of-total-labor-force-national-estimate/puerto-rico-us/zambia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/compare/unemployment-total-percent-of-total-labor-force-national-estimate/puerto-rico-us/zambia/">Puerto Rico vs Zambia: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate)
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 220 places, 6,054 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 03 September 2026

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.