Unemployment rate in Madagascar
Madagascar: Unemployment rate was 3.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate in Madagascar, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Madagascar recorded 3.0% for unemployment rate in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 70.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Madagascar peaked at 6.3% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2012.
That places Madagascar 145th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Madagascar, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.2% | — |
| 1992 | 6.3% | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 6.3% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 6.1% | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 6.1% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 6.0% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 5.9% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 5.8% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 5.8% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 5.3% | -7.8% |
| 2002 | 5.5% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 5.0% | -9.2% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | -21.1% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | -33.7% |
| 2006 | 2.9% | +12.4% |
| 2007 | 3.2% | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 3.4% | +7.2% |
| 2009 | 3.9% | +13.2% |
| 2010 | 4.3% | +10.2% |
| 2011 | 2.5% | -41.2% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | -76.2% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | +66.1% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +39.2% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | +28.9% |
| 2016 | 1.9% | +9.2% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | +8.9% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | +8.5% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | +7.6% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | +32.8% |
| 2021 | 3.5% | +6.3% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | -8.9% |
| 2023 | 3.0% | -4.5% |
| 2024 | 3.1% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 3.0% | -0.3% |
Madagascar compared with similar countries
- Madagascar's 3.0% is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.4%, 69% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Madagascar's 3.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.4%, 56% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate in Madagascar 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | -76.2% | 2.5% | 0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.1% | 5.8% | 6.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.2% | 2.6% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 0.6% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 3.0% | 3.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Madagascar
More work & labour data for Madagascar
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.445 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4265 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4632 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.3514 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.93 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 31,158 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 22,645 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 43,120 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 42,221 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 85,341 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Madagascar?
- Unemployment rate in Madagascar was 3.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Madagascar?
- The highest recorded value was 6.3% in 1993.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Madagascar?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2012.
- How does Madagascar rank for unemployment rate?
- Madagascar ranks 145th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Madagascar?
- Over the last ten years it is up 70.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Madagascar data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by 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).
About this data
Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon.