Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Canada
Canada: Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) was 1,539 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Canada, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in Canada stood at 1,539.
The figure is up 9.6% on the previous year and up 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in Canada peaked at 1,931 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1,099, in 2022.
Canada ranks 11th of 72 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1,345 | — |
| 2015 | 1,341 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 1,366 | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 1,266 | -7.4% |
| 2018 | 1,161 | -8.3% |
| 2019 | 1,150 | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 1,931 | +67.9% |
| 2021 | 1,541 | -20.2% |
| 2022 | 1,099 | -28.7% |
| 2023 | 1,158 | +5.4% |
| 2024 | 1,404 | +21.2% |
| 2025 | 1,539 | +9.6% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 1,539 is above the median for high income countries, which is 169.05, 9.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1,272 | 1,150 | 1,366 | 6 |
| 2020s | 1,445 | 1,099 | 1,931 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More work & labour data for Canada
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.3334 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.3231 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6552 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,234 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,715 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 26,798 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 26,814 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 53,612 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in Canada?
- Unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) in Canada was 1,539 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 1,931 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,099 in 2022.
- How does Canada rank for unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19)?
- Canada ranks 11th out of 72 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment (current ilo definition - icls19) rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Unemployment (current ILO definition - ICLS19) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
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 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.