LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Northern Africa

Northern Africa: LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force was 18.08 in 2027. ▼ Falling

Latest (2027)
18.08
Change on year
down 1.4%
Rank
9th
of 87 groups
All-time high
22.59
in 2004
All-time low
17.73
in 2022
Years of data
24
2004–2027

LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Northern Africa, 2004–2027

05101520252004201520272004: 22.62005: 222006: 20.52007: 19.92008: 19.12009: 18.52010: 18.52011: 20.92012: 21.42013: 21.22014: 21.22015: 21.52016: 20.82017: 20.92018: 19.92019: 192020: 20.32021: 19.52022: 17.72023: 17.92024: 18.72025: 18.62026: 18.32027: 18.1

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

Northern Africa recorded 18.08 for lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in 2027.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 13.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Northern Africa peaked at 22.59 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 17.73, in 2022.

That places Northern Africa 9th out of 87 groups with data for 2027, putting it in the top 10%.

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 Northern Africa, year by year

Annual values for LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force (ILO modelled estimates) in Northern Africa, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 22.59
2005 22.03 -2.4%
2006 20.46 -7.1%
2007 19.92 -2.6%
2008 19.09 -4.2%
2009 18.46 -3.3%
2010 18.54 +0.4%
2011 20.86 +12.5%
2012 21.4 +2.5%
2013 21.21 -0.9%
2014 21.24 +0.2%
2015 21.49 +1.2%
2016 20.79 -3.3%
2017 20.9 +0.5%
2018 19.94 -4.6%
2019 19.04 -4.5%
2020 20.33 +6.8%
2021 19.5 -4.1%
2022 17.73 -9.1%
2023 17.88 +0.9%
2024 18.68 +4.5%
2025 18.57 -0.6%
2026 18.34 -1.2%
2027 18.08 -1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 20.43 18.46 22.59 6
2010s 20.54 18.54 21.49 10
2020s 18.64 17.73 20.33 8

More work & labour data for Northern Africa

All data for Northern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Northern Africa?
Lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Northern Africa was 18.08 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force recorded in Northern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 22.59 in 2004.
What is the lowest lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force recorded in Northern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 17.73 in 2022.
How does Northern Africa rank for lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force?
Northern Africa ranks 9th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is lu3: combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force rising or falling in Northern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Northern Africa 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Northern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/lu3-combined-rate-of-unemployment-and-potential-labour-force-ilo-modelled-estimates/northern-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/lu3-combined-rate-of-unemployment-and-potential-labour-force-ilo-modelled-estimates/northern-africa/">LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force in Northern Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
LU3: Combined rate of unemployment and potential labour force (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
87 places, 2,088 data points, 2004–2027
Last refreshed

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.