SDG indicator 8.5.2: Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) by country
Data may differ from nationally reported figures and the Global SDG Indicators Database due to differences in sources and/or reference years. 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...
What the numbers show
SDG indicator 8.5.2: Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) is currently reported for 57 countries. The highest value is 24.43 in Botswana; the lowest is 0.61 in Romania.
The median across all reporting countries is 5.78, and the mean is 7.01.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 40.
Over the past decade 19 countries rose and 37 fell. The largest increase was in Cambodia (up 373.3%), and the largest decrease in Romania (down 86.2%).
SDG indicator 8.5.2: Unemployment rate: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Botswana | 24.43 | 2024 | up 51.1% | rising |
| 2 | Palestine | 24.42 | 2022 | — | flat |
| 3 | Serbia | 22.16 | 2025 | down 43.0% | flat |
| 4 | Spain | 15.31 | 2025 | down 39.8% | rising |
| 5 | Zimbabwe | 12.13 | 2024 | up 154.1% | rising |
| 6 | Greece | 11.41 | 2025 | down 58.6% | rising |
| 7 | France | 10.82 | 2025 | down 8.5% | rising |
| 8 | Lithuania | 10.69 | 2025 | down 4.5% | falling |
| 9 | Finland | 10.66 | 2025 | down 19.4% | flat |
| 10 | Portugal | 9.56 | 2025 | down 48.5% | falling |
| 11 | Croatia | 9.04 | 2025 | down 65.2% | falling |
| 12 | Bulgaria | 8.96 | 2025 | down 52.1% | falling |
| 13 | Sweden | 8.77 | 2025 | up 24.0% | rising |
| 14 | Colombia | 8.43 | 2025 | up 10.1% | rising |
| 15 | Italy | 8.32 | 2025 | down 50.5% | falling |
| 16 | Armenia | 8.3 | 2023 | down 49.9% | falling |
| 17 | Austria | 8.19 | 2025 | down 9.8% | rising |
| 18 | Estonia | 8.12 | 2025 | up 17.3% | falling |
| 19 | Chile | 8.05 | 2022 | up 12.6% | falling |
| 20 | Latvia | 7.42 | 2025 | down 34.5% | falling |
| 21 | Burkina Faso | 7.08 | 2025 | up 354.2% | volatile |
| 22 | Hungary | 6.94 | 2025 | down 40.8% | falling |
| 23 | Slovenia | 6.93 | 2025 | down 59.2% | falling |
| 24 | Denmark | 6.38 | 2025 | down 19.7% | rising |
| 25 | Ireland | 6.27 | 2025 | down 52.0% | falling |
| 26 | Cyprus | 6.24 | 2025 | down 69.5% | volatile |
| 27 | Germany | 5.8 | 2022 | down 30.5% | falling |
| 27 | Russia | 5.8 | 2020 | up 3.6% | falling |
| 29 | Senegal | 5.78 | 2024 | down 14.5% | flat |
| 30 | Belgium | 5.69 | 2025 | down 46.8% | falling |
| 31 | Zambia | 5.67 | 2024 | down 52.3% | falling |
| 32 | Luxembourg | 5.49 | 2025 | down 17.4% | flat |
| 33 | Costa Rica | 5.42 | 2025 | down 36.2% | flat |
| 34 | Mongolia | 5.41 | 2025 | up 11.3% | rising |
| 35 | Rwanda | 5.36 | 2025 | up 358.8% | rising |
| 36 | Slovakia | 5.19 | 2025 | down 59.8% | falling |
| 37 | Czechia | 5.14 | 2025 | down 43.2% | falling |
| 38 | United Kingdom | 4.9 | 2025 | down 11.8% | falling |
| 39 | Poland | 4.43 | 2025 | down 40.7% | volatile |
| 40 | Bolivia | 4.41 | 2024 | up 118.3% | rising |
| 41 | Peru | 4.32 | 2025 | up 32.0% | rising |
| 42 | Sri Lanka | 4.32 | 2024 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 43 | United States | 4.28 | 2025 | down 18.9% | falling |
| 44 | Ghana | 3.97 | 2024 | up 82.8% | falling |
| 45 | Switzerland | 3.89 | 2024 | up 0.0% | rising |
| 46 | Netherlands | 3.88 | 2025 | down 43.4% | rising |
| 47 | Israel | 3.37 | 2023 | down 28.6% | falling |
| 48 | Norway | 3.37 | 2025 | down 17.2% | flat |
| 49 | Indonesia | 3.31 | 2023 | up 27.7% | rising |
| 50 | Cambodia | 3.27 | 2025 | up 373.3% | volatile |
| 51 | Seychelles | 2.58 | 2025 | down 26.3% | falling |
| 52 | Iceland | 2.56 | 2016 | up 70.0% | volatile |
| 53 | Tanzania | 2.43 | 2024 | up 14.4% | rising |
| 54 | Togo | 1.97 | 2022 | down 0.9% | volatile |
| 55 | Moldova | 1.28 | 2025 | down 67.1% | volatile |
| 56 | Thailand | 0.812 | 2019 | up 31.8% | rising |
| 57 | Romania | 0.61 | 2025 | down 86.2% | volatile |
About this data
Data may differ from nationally reported figures and the Global SDG Indicators Database due to differences in sources and/or reference years. 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. The term disability, as defined in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), is used as an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. For measurement purposes, a person with disability is defined as a person who is limited in the kind or amount of activities that he or she can do because of ongoing difficulties due to a long-term physical condition, mental condition or health problem. For more information, refer to the Labour Market-related SDG Indicators (ILOSDG) database description.