Unemployment Rate by Country
Swaziland has the highest unemployment rate in the world at 37.6%.
Analysis
South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates, while Qatar and Cambodia are among the lowest. Unemployment is shaped by economic cycles, education, and policy. Youth and women are often more affected, and informal work can mask true unemployment. Technological change is reshaping labor markets. This ranking highlights the importance of inclusive growth and job creation.
Global Rankings
| Rank | Country | Unemployment Rate (%) | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Swaziland
|
37.6% | 2023 |
| 2 |
South Africa
|
28.0% | 2023 |
| 3 |
Djibouti
|
26.3% | 2023 |
| 4 |
Grenada
|
24.0% | 2017 |
| 5 |
Botswana
|
23.4% | 2023 |
| 6 |
Gabon
|
20.4% | 2023 |
| 7 |
Republic of the Congo
|
20.1% | 2023 |
| 8 |
Namibia
|
19.4% | 2023 |
| 9 |
Somalia
|
19.0% | 2023 |
| 10 |
Libya
|
18.7% | 2023 |
| 11 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
|
18.7% | 2023 |
| 12 |
Jordan
|
17.9% | 2023 |
| 13 |
Yemen
|
17.2% | 2023 |
| 14 |
Lesotho
|
16.5% | 2023 |
| 15 |
Iraq
|
15.5% | 2023 |
| 16 |
Montenegro
|
15.2% | 2023 |
| 17 |
Tunisia
|
15.1% | 2023 |
| 18 |
Rwanda
|
14.9% | 2023 |
| 19 |
Angola
|
14.6% | 2023 |
| 20 |
Haiti
|
14.6% | 2023 |
| 21 |
Afghanistan
|
14.4% | 2023 |
| 22 |
Sao Tome and Principe
|
14.2% | 2023 |
| 23 |
Syria
|
13.5% | 2023 |
| 24 |
Macedonia
|
13.1% | 2023 |
| 25 |
Guyana
|
12.4% | 2023 |
| 26 |
Spain
|
12.1% | 2023 |
| 27 |
Virgin Islands
|
12.1% | 2023 |
| 28 |
Cabo Verde
|
12.0% | 2023 |
| 29 |
Algeria
|
11.8% | 2023 |
| 30 |
French Polynesia
|
11.7% | 2023 |
| 31 |
Georgia
|
11.6% | 2023 |
| 32 |
Albania
|
11.6% | 2023 |
| 33 |
Lebanon
|
11.6% | 2023 |
| 34 |
Sudan
|
11.4% | 2023 |
| 35 |
New Caledonia
|
11.2% | 2023 |
| 36 |
Saint Lucia
|
11.1% | 2023 |
| 37 |
Greece
|
11.0% | 2023 |
| 38 |
Nepal
|
10.7% | 2023 |
| 39 |
Mauritania
|
10.5% | 2023 |
| 40 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
10.4% | 2023 |
| 41 |
Ukraine
|
9.8% | 2021 |
| 42 |
Samoa
|
9.8% | 2023 |
| 43 |
Colombia
|
9.6% | 2023 |
| 44 |
Turkey
|
9.4% | 2023 |
| 45 |
Bahamas
|
9.2% | 2023 |
| 46 |
Morocco
|
9.1% | 2023 |
| 47 |
Iran
|
9.1% | 2023 |
| 48 |
Chile
|
9.0% | 2023 |
| 49 |
Zimbabwe
|
8.8% | 2023 |
| 50 |
Serbia
|
8.7% | 2023 |
| 51 |
Equatorial Guinea
|
8.7% | 2023 |
| 52 |
Armenia
|
8.6% | 2023 |
| 53 |
Uruguay
|
8.3% | 2023 |
| 54 |
Costa Rica
|
8.3% | 2023 |
| 55 |
Belize
|
8.3% | 2023 |
| 56 |
San Marino
|
8.1% | 2017 |
| 57 |
Barbados
|
8.0% | 2023 |
| 58 |
Brazil
|
8.0% | 2023 |
| 59 |
Aruba
|
7.7% | 2016 |
| 60 |
Suriname
|
7.7% | 2023 |
| 61 |
Italy
|
7.6% | 2023 |
| 62 |
Sweden
|
7.6% | 2023 |
| 63 |
France
|
7.3% | 2023 |
| 64 |
Egypt
|
7.3% | 2023 |
| 65 |
Finland
|
7.2% | 2023 |
| 66 |
Bermuda
|
7.0% | 2017 |
| 67 |
Tajikistan
|
7.0% | 2023 |
| 68 |
Lithuania
|
7.0% | 2023 |
| 69 |
Panama
|
6.7% | 2023 |
| 70 |
Latvia
|
6.5% | 2023 |
| 71 |
Portugal
|
6.5% | 2023 |
| 72 |
Gambia
|
6.5% | 2023 |
| 73 |
Sri Lanka
|
6.4% | 2023 |
| 74 |
Estonia
|
6.3% | 2023 |
| 75 |
Central African Republic
|
6.3% | 2023 |
| 76 |
Argentina
|
6.2% | 2023 |
| 77 |
Mongolia
|
6.1% | 2023 |
| 78 |
Mauritius
|
6.1% | 2023 |
| 79 |
Honduras
|
6.1% | 2023 |
| 80 |
Croatia
|
6.1% | 2023 |
| 81 |
Guernsey
|
6.0% | 2023 |
| 82 |
Jersey
|
6.0% | 2023 |
| 83 |
Puerto Rico
|
6.0% | 2023 |
| 84 |
Cyprus
|
6.0% | 2023 |
| 85 |
Zambia
|
5.9% | 2023 |
| 86 |
Eritrea
|
5.9% | 2023 |
| 87 |
Slovakia
|
5.8% | 2023 |
| 88 |
Comoros
|
5.8% | 2023 |
| 89 |
Paraguay
|
5.8% | 2023 |
| 90 |
Kenya
|
5.7% | 2023 |
| 91 |
Bhutan
|
5.7% | 2023 |
| 92 |
Azerbaijan
|
5.6% | 2023 |
| 93 |
Montserrat
|
5.6% | 2017 |
| 94 |
Romania
|
5.6% | 2023 |
| 95 |
Dominican Republic
|
5.6% | 2023 |
| 96 |
Venezuela
|
5.5% | 2023 |
| 97 |
Belgium
|
5.5% | 2023 |
| 98 |
Pakistan
|
5.5% | 2023 |
| 99 |
Guam
|
5.4% | 2023 |
| 100 |
Canada
|
5.4% | 2023 |
| 101 |
Guinea
|
5.3% | 2023 |
| 102 |
Burkina Faso
|
5.3% | 2023 |
| 103 |
Brunei
|
5.3% | 2023 |
| 104 |
Austria
|
5.2% | 2023 |
| 105 |
Luxembourg
|
5.2% | 2023 |
| 106 |
Denmark
|
5.1% | 2023 |
| 107 |
Vanuatu
|
5.1% | 2023 |
| 108 |
Bangladesh
|
5.1% | 2023 |
| 109 |
Malawi
|
5.0% | 2023 |
| 110 |
Saudi Arabia
|
4.9% | 2023 |
| 111 |
Kazakhstan
|
4.8% | 2023 |
| 112 |
Peru
|
4.8% | 2023 |
| 113 |
Nicaragua
|
4.8% | 2023 |
| 114 |
China
|
4.7% | 2023 |
| 115 |
Democratic Republic of the Congo
|
4.5% | 2023 |
| 116 |
Uzbekistan
|
4.5% | 2023 |
| 117 |
Jamaica
|
4.4% | 2023 |
| 118 |
Ireland
|
4.3% | 2023 |
| 119 |
Fiji
|
4.3% | 2023 |
| 120 |
Bulgaria
|
4.3% | 2023 |
| 121 |
Trinidad and Tobago
|
4.2% | 2023 |
| 122 |
India
|
4.2% | 2023 |
| 123 |
Hungary
|
4.1% | 2023 |
| 124 |
Maldives
|
4.1% | 2023 |
| 125 |
Turkmenistan
|
4.1% | 2023 |
| 126 |
United Kingdom
|
4.1% | 2023 |
| 127 |
Switzerland
|
4.0% | 2023 |
| 128 |
Kyrgyzstan
|
4.0% | 2023 |
| 129 |
Hong Kong
|
3.9% | 2023 |
| 130 |
Malaysia
|
3.9% | 2023 |
| 131 |
New Zealand
|
3.7% | 2023 |
| 132 |
Taiwan
|
3.7% | 2019 |
| 133 |
Andorra
|
3.7% | 2016 |
| 134 |
Australia
|
3.7% | 2023 |
| 135 |
Cameroon
|
3.6% | 2023 |
| 136 |
Slovenia
|
3.6% | 2023 |
| 137 |
United States
|
3.6% | 2023 |
| 138 |
Norway
|
3.6% | 2023 |
| 139 |
Belarus
|
3.6% | 2023 |
| 140 |
Iceland
|
3.6% | 2023 |
| 141 |
Netherlands
|
3.6% | 2023 |
| 142 |
Mozambique
|
3.5% | 2023 |
| 143 |
Ethiopia
|
3.5% | 2023 |
| 144 |
Singapore
|
3.5% | 2023 |
| 145 |
Indonesia
|
3.4% | 2023 |
| 146 |
Israel
|
3.4% | 2023 |
| 147 |
Ecuador
|
3.4% | 2023 |
| 148 |
Russia
|
3.3% | 2023 |
| 149 |
Guinea-Bissau
|
3.2% | 2023 |
| 150 |
Sierra Leone
|
3.2% | 2023 |
| 151 |
Malta
|
3.1% | 2023 |
| 152 |
Ghana
|
3.1% | 2023 |
| 153 |
Bolivia
|
3.1% | 2023 |
| 154 |
Nigeria
|
3.1% | 2023 |
| 155 |
Madagascar
|
3.1% | 2023 |
| 156 |
Germany
|
3.0% | 2023 |
| 157 |
Mali
|
3.0% | 2023 |
| 158 |
Seychelles
|
3.0% | 2017 |
| 159 |
North Korea
|
3.0% | 2023 |
| 160 |
Liberia
|
2.9% | 2023 |
| 161 |
Senegal
|
2.9% | 2023 |
| 162 |
Poland
|
2.9% | 2023 |
| 163 |
Burma
|
2.8% | 2023 |
| 164 |
Uganda
|
2.8% | 2023 |
| 165 |
Mexico
|
2.8% | 2023 |
| 166 |
El Salvador
|
2.8% | 2023 |
| 167 |
Guatemala
|
2.7% | 2023 |
| 168 |
United Arab Emirates
|
2.7% | 2023 |
| 169 |
Papua New Guinea
|
2.6% | 2023 |
| 170 |
South Korea
|
2.6% | 2023 |
| 171 |
Tanzania
|
2.6% | 2023 |
| 172 |
Czech Republic
|
2.6% | 2023 |
| 173 |
Japan
|
2.6% | 2023 |
| 174 |
Cote d'Ivoire
|
2.4% | 2023 |
| 175 |
Tonga
|
2.3% | 2023 |
| 176 |
Macau
|
2.2% | 2023 |
| 177 |
Philippines
|
2.2% | 2023 |
| 178 |
Faroe Islands
|
2.2% | 2017 |
| 179 |
Kuwait
|
2.1% | 2023 |
| 180 |
Togo
|
2.0% | 2023 |
| 181 |
Moldova
|
1.6% | 2023 |
| 182 |
Vietnam
|
1.6% | 2023 |
| 183 |
Solomon Islands
|
1.6% | 2023 |
| 184 |
Timor-Leste
|
1.5% | 2023 |
| 185 |
Oman
|
1.5% | 2023 |
| 186 |
Benin
|
1.4% | 2023 |
| 187 |
Laos
|
1.2% | 2023 |
| 188 |
Cuba
|
1.2% | 2023 |
| 189 |
Bahrain
|
1.2% | 2023 |
| 190 |
Isle of Man
|
1.1% | 2017 |
| 191 |
Chad
|
1.1% | 2023 |
| 192 |
Gibraltar
|
1.0% | 2016 |
| 193 |
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
|
1.0% | 2016 |
| 194 |
Burundi
|
0.9% | 2023 |
| 195 |
Thailand
|
0.9% | 2023 |
| 196 |
Niger
|
0.6% | 2023 |
| 197 |
Cambodia
|
0.2% | 2023 |
| 198 |
Qatar
|
0.1% | 2023 |
Why Unemployment Rates Matter for Societies
Unemployment rates are a key indicator of economic health and social well-being. High unemployment can lead to poverty, social unrest, and reduced economic growth. Understanding these rates helps policymakers design effective labor market interventions. Tracking unemployment highlights vulnerable groups and changing economic conditions. Reducing unemployment is vital for inclusive and sustainable development.Sources
Rankings are based on the most recent data available and may vary over time as new data is released. This list uses the latest available data from The World Factbook.More Quality of Life (by country) rankings
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