Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) was 6.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean, 1990–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean stood at 6.3%. That is the lowest value across all 32 years on record.
The figure is down 9.0% on the previous year and down 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 12.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.3%, in 2025.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 9th out of 24 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 7.3% | — |
| 1992 | 9.9% | +35.9% |
| 1993 | 8.2% | -16.8% |
| 1995 | 10.5% | +27.2% |
| 1996 | 11.3% | +7.7% |
| 1997 | 11.0% | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 11.6% | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 12.2% | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 11.1% | -9.1% |
| 2002 | 11.8% | +6.2% |
| 2003 | 12.1% | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 11.0% | -9.1% |
| 2005 | 10.6% | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 9.2% | -13.2% |
| 2007 | 9.2% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 8.5% | -8.2% |
| 2009 | 9.5% | +12.3% |
| 2011 | 8.3% | -12.9% |
| 2012 | 7.8% | -5.4% |
| 2013 | 7.5% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 7.1% | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 7.8% | +8.8% |
| 2016 | 9.0% | +15.6% |
| 2017 | 9.4% | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 9.5% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 9.8% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 12.2% | +25.5% |
| 2021 | 11.4% | -7.0% |
| 2022 | 8.5% | -25.7% |
| 2023 | 7.3% | -13.3% |
| 2024 | 6.9% | -5.9% |
| 2025 | 6.3% | -9.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.3% | 7.3% | 12.2% | 8 |
| 2000s | 10.3% | 8.5% | 12.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 8.5% | 7.1% | 9.8% | 9 |
| 2020s | 8.8% | 6.3% | 12.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More work & labour data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 51.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 62.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 74.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 39.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 55.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 57.7% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 69.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 68.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean was 6.3% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 12.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.3% in 2025.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for unemployment, female (% of female labor force)?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 9th out of 24 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.