Unemployment with basic education in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Unemployment with basic education was 6.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Unemployment with basic education in Latin America & Caribbean, 2002–2024
Source: Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total labor force with basic education.
Analysis
Latin America & Caribbean recorded 6.6% for unemployment with basic education in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.1% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment with basic education in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 13.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.3%, in 2014.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Unemployment with basic education in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force with basic education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 11.6% | — |
| 2003 | 12.1% | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 10.9% | -9.6% |
| 2005 | 10.8% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 9.6% | -11.3% |
| 2007 | 8.7% | -9.3% |
| 2008 | 7.9% | -8.6% |
| 2009 | 9.1% | +14.7% |
| 2011 | 7.4% | -18.2% |
| 2012 | 6.9% | -6.6% |
| 2013 | 6.4% | -7.7% |
| 2014 | 6.3% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 7.4% | +18.4% |
| 2016 | 10.0% | +34.7% |
| 2017 | 11.1% | +11.4% |
| 2018 | 11.1% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 11.0% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 13.6% | +23.6% |
| 2021 | 12.0% | -11.8% |
| 2022 | 9.0% | -25.3% |
| 2023 | 8.0% | -11.4% |
| 2024 | 6.6% | -17.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.1% | 7.9% | 12.1% | 8 |
| 2010s | 8.6% | 6.3% | 11.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 9.8% | 6.6% | 13.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More work & labour data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 62.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 39.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 55.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 74.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 57.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 68.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 51.4% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 69.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment with basic education in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Unemployment with basic education in Latin America & Caribbean was 6.6% in 2024, according to Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment with basic education recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 13.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment with basic education recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.3% in 2014.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for unemployment with basic education?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 13th out of 18 groups with data for 2024.
- Is unemployment with basic education rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from Education and Mismatch Indicators database (EMI), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment with basic education (% of total labor force with basic education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The percentage of the labor force with a basic level of education who are unemployed. Basic education comprises primary education or lower secondary education according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).