LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Latin America and the Caribbean
Latin America and the Caribbean: LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force was 9.81 in 2027. ▼ Falling
LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2004–2027
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Latin America and the Caribbean is 9.81, measured in 2027. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 23.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Latin America and the Caribbean peaked at 17.17 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 9.81, in 2027.
That places Latin America and the Caribbean 34th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Latin America and the Caribbean, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 14.21 | — |
| 2005 | 13.6 | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 12.78 | -6.0% |
| 2007 | 12.22 | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 11.71 | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 12.82 | +9.4% |
| 2010 | 12.19 | -4.9% |
| 2011 | 11.55 | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 11.21 | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 10.94 | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 10.6 | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 11.08 | +4.6% |
| 2016 | 12.41 | +12.0% |
| 2017 | 12.84 | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 12.88 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 12.94 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 17.17 | +32.7% |
| 2021 | 14.88 | -13.4% |
| 2022 | 11.88 | -20.1% |
| 2023 | 10.79 | -9.2% |
| 2024 | 10.43 | -3.4% |
| 2025 | 10.23 | -1.8% |
| 2026 | 9.96 | -2.7% |
| 2027 | 9.81 | -1.5% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Latin America and the Caribbean changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +32.7% | 12.94 | 17.17 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.89 | 11.71 | 14.21 | 6 |
| 2010s | 11.86 | 10.6 | 12.94 | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.89 | 9.81 | 17.17 | 8 |
More work & labour data for Latin America and the Caribbean
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 331,299 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 62.53 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 198,545 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.34 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.9209 % change on previous year (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 44,022 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 5.1 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.15 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 59.34 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 20,218 (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- Lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Latin America and the Caribbean was 9.81 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 17.17 in 2020.
- What is the lowest lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.81 in 2027.
- How does Latin America and the Caribbean rank for lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force?
- Latin America and the Caribbean ranks 34th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
- Is lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force rising or falling in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America and the Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. LU3 represents the share of the extended labour force that are in unemployment or the potential labour force. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.