Unemployment rate in Ukraine
Ukraine: Unemployment rate was 9.8% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate in Ukraine, 1991–2021
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, unemployment rate in Ukraine stood at 9.8%.
The figure is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 25.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Ukraine peaked at 11.9% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 1.9%, in 1991.
That places Ukraine 39th out of 186 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Ukraine, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1.9% | — |
| 1992 | 1.9% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2.0% | +5.3% |
| 1994 | 2.0% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 5.6% | +181.0% |
| 1996 | 7.7% | +36.1% |
| 1997 | 8.9% | +16.7% |
| 1998 | 11.3% | +26.8% |
| 1999 | 11.9% | +4.8% |
| 2000 | 11.7% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 11.1% | -5.5% |
| 2002 | 10.1% | -8.4% |
| 2003 | 9.1% | -10.6% |
| 2004 | 8.6% | -5.2% |
| 2005 | 7.2% | -16.4% |
| 2006 | 6.8% | -5.2% |
| 2007 | 6.4% | -6.7% |
| 2008 | 6.4% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 8.8% | +38.9% |
| 2010 | 8.1% | -8.4% |
| 2011 | 7.9% | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 7.5% | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 7.2% | -4.8% |
| 2014 | 9.3% | +29.3% |
| 2015 | 9.1% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 9.3% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 9.5% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 8.8% | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 8.2% | -6.9% |
| 2020 | 9.5% | +15.6% |
| 2021 | 9.8% | +3.8% |
Ukraine compared with similar countries
- Ukraine's 9.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.6%, 1.7× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Ukraine's 9.8% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.6%, 1.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate in Ukraine 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +181.0% | 2.0% | 5.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.9% | 1.9% | 11.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.6% | 6.4% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.5% | 7.2% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.7% | 9.5% | 9.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ukraine
More work & labour data for Ukraine
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.63 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1.57 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.69 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.22 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1458 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 28,634 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 7,781 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 7,873 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 7,324 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 15,197 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Ukraine?
- Unemployment rate in Ukraine was 9.8% in 2021, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Ukraine?
- The highest recorded value was 11.9% in 1999.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Ukraine?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.9% in 1991.
- How does Ukraine rank for unemployment rate?
- Ukraine ranks 39th out of 186 countries with data for 2021.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Ukraine?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ukraine 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 — 31 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.