Unemployment rate in Brunei
Brunei: Unemployment rate was 5.28 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate in Brunei, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate in Brunei is 5.28, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Brunei peaked at 9.32 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 4.7, in 1991.
Brunei ranks 91st of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Brunei, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.7 | — |
| 1992 | 4.79 | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 4.9 | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 5.01 | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 5.07 | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 5.15 | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 5.2 | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 5.36 | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 5.42 | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 5.53 | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 5.56 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 5.65 | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 5.74 | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 5.85 | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 5.97 | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 6.06 | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 6.19 | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 6.31 | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 6.46 | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 6.49 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 6.51 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 6.57 | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 6.71 | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 6.86 | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 7.7 | +12.3% |
| 2016 | 8.54 | +10.8% |
| 2017 | 9.32 | +9.1% |
| 2018 | 8.7 | -6.6% |
| 2019 | 6.6 | -24.1% |
| 2020 | 7.41 | +12.3% |
| 2021 | 4.91 | -33.8% |
| 2022 | 5.19 | +5.8% |
| 2023 | 5.3 | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 5.18 | -2.2% |
| 2025 | 5.28 | +1.9% |
Brunei compared with similar countries
- Brunei's 5.28 is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.04, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Brunei's 5.28 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.05, 1.7× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate in Brunei changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -33.8% | 7.41 | 4.91 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.07 | 4.7 | 5.42 | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.93 | 5.53 | 6.46 | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.4 | 6.49 | 9.32 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.54 | 4.91 | 7.41 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Brunei
More work & labour data for Brunei
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 137.72 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 63.56 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 240.28 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 5.43 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.08 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 172,284 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 64,415 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 60.11 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 2.06 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.5234 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Brunei?
- Unemployment rate in Brunei was 5.28 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Brunei?
- The highest recorded value was 9.32 in 2017.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Brunei?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.7 in 1991.
- How does Brunei rank for unemployment rate?
- Brunei ranks 91st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Brunei?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Brunei data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).