Unemployment rate in Guatemala
Guatemala: Unemployment rate was 2.6 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate in Guatemala, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Guatemala recorded 2.6 for unemployment rate in 2025.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Guatemala peaked at 3.5 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2.11, in 1999.
That places Guatemala 161st out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.2 | — |
| 1992 | 2.16 | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 2.13 | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 2.12 | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 2.12 | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 2.16 | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 2.15 | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 2.15 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2.11 | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 2.14 | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 2.25 | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 2.25 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 2.81 | +24.5% |
| 2004 | 2.97 | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 3.06 | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 2.96 | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 2.85 | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 2.9 | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 3.22 | +11.1% |
| 2010 | 3.5 | +8.6% |
| 2011 | 3.17 | -9.4% |
| 2012 | 2.77 | -12.7% |
| 2013 | 3.02 | +9.1% |
| 2014 | 2.72 | -9.9% |
| 2015 | 2.51 | -7.8% |
| 2016 | 2.58 | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 2.46 | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 2.28 | -7.3% |
| 2019 | 2.19 | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 2.96 | +35.2% |
| 2021 | 2.17 | -26.7% |
| 2022 | 3.05 | +40.3% |
| 2023 | 2.34 | -23.2% |
| 2024 | 2.61 | +11.5% |
| 2025 | 2.6 | -0.3% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 2.6 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.63, 46% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 2.6 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 5.99, 43% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate in Guatemala 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +40.3% | 2.17 | 3.05 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.14 | 2.11 | 2.2 | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.74 | 2.14 | 3.22 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.72 | 2.19 | 3.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.63 | 2.17 | 3.05 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
- 158 South Korea 2.68 compare
- 159 Guinea-Bissau 2.67 compare
- 159 Mexico 2.67 compare
- 162 Papua New Guinea 2.57 compare
- 163 Japan 2.45 compare
- 164 Macao 2.35 compare
More work & labour data for Guatemala
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.3404 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.3121 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.3683 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6261 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.73 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 18,121 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 8,847 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 13,041 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 12,871 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 25,912 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Guatemala?
- Unemployment rate in Guatemala was 2.6 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5 in 2010.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.11 in 1999.
- How does Guatemala rank for unemployment rate?
- Guatemala ranks 161st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Guatemala 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).