Unemployment rate in Eritrea
Eritrea: Unemployment rate was 5.98 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
5.98
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
77th
of 186 countries
All-time high
6.49
in 2021
All-time low
5.13
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate in Eritrea, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate in Eritrea is 5.98, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Eritrea peaked at 6.49 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 5.13, in 1991.
Eritrea ranks 77th 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 Eritrea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.13 | — |
| 1992 | 5.3 | +3.3% |
| 1993 | 5.39 | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 5.45 | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 5.35 | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 5.31 | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 5.4 | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 5.5 | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 5.6 | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 5.66 | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 5.74 | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 5.79 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 5.79 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 5.7 | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 5.72 | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 5.71 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 5.72 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 5.68 | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 5.76 | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 5.85 | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 5.8 | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 5.69 | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 5.62 | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 5.64 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 5.75 | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 5.77 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 5.8 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 5.76 | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 5.81 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 6.38 | +9.7% |
| 2021 | 6.49 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 6.03 | -7.0% |
| 2023 | 5.91 | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 5.95 | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 5.98 | +0.5% |
Eritrea compared with similar countries
- Eritrea's 5.98 is above the median for low income countries, which is 4.43, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Eritrea's 5.98 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.45, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.38 | 5.13 | 5.6 | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.73 | 5.66 | 5.79 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.75 | 5.62 | 5.85 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.12 | 5.91 | 6.49 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Eritrea
More work & labour data for Eritrea
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.278 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.291 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.2652 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0037 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.52 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 5,776 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 3,830 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 4,254 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 4,190 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 8,444 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Eritrea?
- Unemployment rate in Eritrea was 5.98 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Eritrea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.49 in 2021.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Eritrea?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.13 in 1991.
- How does Eritrea rank for unemployment rate?
- Eritrea ranks 77th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Eritrea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eritrea 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).