Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) by country
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)...
What the numbers show
Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) is currently reported for 78 countries. The highest value is 15.41 in Malawi; the lowest is 1.54 in Timor-Leste.
The median across all reporting countries is 5.74, and the mean is 6.38.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 10.
Over the past decade 27 countries rose and 49 fell. The largest increase was in Burkina Faso (up 459.6%), and the largest decrease in Cyprus (down 71.0%).
Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malawi | 15.41 | 2024 | up 209.5% | volatile |
| 2 | Armenia | 13.35 | 2024 | down 24.2% | volatile |
| 3 | Uganda | 12.34 | 2024 | up 247.4% | volatile |
| 4 | Zimbabwe | 12.13 | 2024 | up 154.1% | rising |
| 5 | Montenegro | 11.53 | 2024 | down 36.1% | falling |
| 6 | North Macedonia | 11.53 | 2025 | down 56.3% | falling |
| 7 | Cape Verde | 10.95 | 2022 | down 19.0% | falling |
| 8 | Kosovo | 10.83 | 2024 | down 69.3% | falling |
| 9 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 10.73 | 2025 | down 61.2% | falling |
| 10 | Spain | 10.5 | 2025 | down 52.4% | falling |
| 11 | Brazil | 10.49 | 2015 | down 0.6% | rising |
| 12 | Angola | 10.39 | 2025 | down 36.8% | rising |
| 13 | Finland | 9.61 | 2025 | up 2.5% | falling |
| 14 | Uruguay | 8.98 | 2024 | up 37.2% | rising |
| 15 | Chile | 8.89 | 2025 | up 108.3% | rising |
| 16 | Greece | 8.84 | 2025 | down 64.6% | rising |
| 17 | Sweden | 8.74 | 2025 | up 17.6% | flat |
| 18 | Panama | 8.61 | 2024 | up 44.5% | volatile |
| 19 | Albania | 8.43 | 2024 | down 61.7% | falling |
| 20 | Colombia | 8.43 | 2025 | up 0.4% | rising |
| 21 | Türkiye | 8.35 | 2025 | down 19.0% | falling |
| 22 | France | 7.7 | 2025 | down 25.6% | falling |
| 23 | Saint Lucia | 7.66 | 2025 | down 59.5% | falling |
| 24 | Estonia | 7.44 | 2025 | up 16.0% | falling |
| 25 | Argentina | 7.38 | 2025 | up 1.5% | falling |
| 26 | Serbia | 7.3 | 2025 | down 58.7% | falling |
| 27 | Burkina Faso | 7.08 | 2025 | up 459.6% | rising |
| 28 | Latvia | 6.89 | 2025 | down 30.3% | falling |
| 29 | Lithuania | 6.87 | 2025 | down 24.7% | falling |
| 30 | Luxembourg | 6.48 | 2025 | down 4.7% | rising |
| 31 | Canada | 6.34 | 2024 | down 8.2% | falling |
| 32 | Costa Rica | 6.34 | 2025 | down 24.6% | rising |
| 33 | Denmark | 6.32 | 2025 | up 0.6% | rising |
| 34 | Belgium | 6.18 | 2025 | down 27.1% | falling |
| 35 | Kuwait | 6.15 | 2014 | up 267.8% | volatile |
| 36 | Italy | 6.13 | 2025 | down 48.4% | volatile |
| 37 | Portugal | 6.01 | 2025 | down 51.6% | rising |
| 38 | Slovakia | 5.84 | 2023 | down 58.9% | falling |
| 39 | Austria | 5.78 | 2025 | down 0.4% | rising |
| 40 | Paraguay | 5.71 | 2022 | up 21.2% | falling |
| 41 | Honduras | 5.7 | 2019 | up 73.1% | rising |
| 42 | Zambia | 5.67 | 2024 | up 25.2% | rising |
| 43 | Romania | 5.43 | 2024 | down 23.5% | falling |
| 44 | Mongolia | 5.41 | 2025 | down 40.1% | falling |
| 45 | Rwanda | 5.36 | 2025 | up 358.8% | rising |
| 46 | Fiji | 5.36 | 2024 | up 24.1% | falling |
| 47 | Dominican Republic | 5.17 | 2025 | down 32.1% | falling |
| 48 | Indonesia | 4.91 | 2024 | up 29.7% | rising |
| 49 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 4.9 | 2025 | down 8.2% | falling |
| 50 | Brunei Darussalam | 4.87 | 2024 | down 29.0% | falling |
| 51 | Croatia | 4.85 | 2025 | down 70.0% | falling |
| 52 | Switzerland | 4.84 | 2025 | up 0.8% | rising |
| 53 | Ireland | 4.64 | 2025 | down 53.1% | volatile |
| 54 | Norway | 4.46 | 2025 | up 3.7% | falling |
| 55 | Iceland | 4.43 | 2025 | up 11.4% | rising |
| 56 | Hungary | 4.42 | 2025 | down 35.2% | falling |
| 57 | Cyprus | 4.35 | 2025 | down 71.0% | volatile |
| 58 | United States of America | 4.28 | 2025 | down 18.9% | falling |
| 59 | Australia | 4.17 | 2025 | down 26.3% | falling |
| 60 | Bulgaria | 4.17 | 2024 | down 63.5% | falling |
| 61 | Trinidad and Tobago | 4.01 | 2024 | up 61.7% | rising |
| 62 | Ghana | 3.97 | 2024 | up 82.8% | falling |
| 63 | Belize | 3.88 | 2023 | down 53.5% | falling |
| 64 | Slovenia | 3.88 | 2025 | down 56.8% | falling |
| 65 | Netherlands | 3.85 | 2025 | down 44.0% | falling |
| 66 | Germany | 3.82 | 2025 | up 1.1% | volatile |
| 67 | New Zealand | 3.29 | 2022 | — | falling |
| 68 | Cambodia | 3.27 | 2025 | up 34.9% | volatile |
| 69 | Ecuador | 3.23 | 2025 | down 5.5% | falling |
| 70 | Malta | 3.05 | 2025 | down 43.4% | falling |
| 71 | Poland | 3.02 | 2025 | down 59.6% | volatile |
| 72 | Israel | 2.9 | 2024 | down 49.9% | falling |
| 73 | Czechia | 2.79 | 2025 | down 44.8% | falling |
| 74 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 2.78 | 2024 | — | falling |
| 75 | Mexico | 2.54 | 2025 | down 41.0% | falling |
| 76 | Guatemala | 2.33 | 2025 | down 13.9% | falling |
| 77 | United Arab Emirates | 1.74 | 2025 | down 21.8% | falling |
| 78 | Timor-Leste | 1.54 | 2022 | down 62.0% | falling |
About this data
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. For more information, refer to the International Labour Migration Statistics (ILMS) database description.