World rankings / DATA EXPLORER

THE GLOBAL INDEX #034

Unemployment2021

ILO modeled estimate of unemployed people as a percentage of the labor force.

World Bank
Comparable ranking year2025Latest published year: 2025
Economies with data187 / 217No observation: 30
First-ranked country or territoryEswatini34.15 %

Top 10

% · 2021

Complete ranking

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Unemployment · 2021 · %
RankCountry / territoryValue (%)Year
01Eswatini34.152021
02South Africa34.012021
03Djibouti27.632021
04Palestinian Territories26.392021
05Botswana23.112021
06Congo - Brazzaville222021
07Gabon21.222021
08Namibia20.932021
09St. Lucia20.512021
10St. Vincent & Grenadines20.362021
11Jordan19.842021
12Libya19.782021
13Somalia19.662021
14Yemen18.312021
15Lesotho18.212021
16Tunisia16.632021
17Montenegro16.542021
18Iraq16.172021
19North Macedonia15.82021
20Angola15.82021
21Rwanda15.782021
22Armenia15.472021
23Haiti15.32021
24Costa Rica15.142021
25Spain14.912021
26Bosnia & Herzegovina14.92021
27Syria14.892021
28Greece14.662021
29Guyana14.582021
30South Sudan13.952021
31Cape Verde13.932021
32Colombia13.92021
33Algeria13.662021
34U.S. Virgin Islands13.512021
35Brazil13.162021
36Lebanon12.722021
37French Polynesia12.562021
38Nepal12.242021
39Afghanistan12.012021
40Türkiye11.972021
41Georgia11.782021
42New Caledonia11.572021
43Albania11.472021
44Mauritania11.132021
45Sudan11.092021
46Bahamas11.082021
47Barbados11.022021
48Morocco10.552021
49Belize10.32021
50Panama10.182021
51Serbia9.842021
52Ukraine9.832021
53São Tomé & Príncipe9.562021
54Zimbabwe9.542021
55Italy9.52021
56Uruguay9.332021
57Iran9.282021
58Chile9.282021
59Equatorial Guinea8.822021
60Sweden8.82021
61Argentina8.742021
62Suriname8.712021
63Honduras8.512021
64Puerto Rico7.92021
65France7.872021
65Mongolia7.872021
67Mauritius7.722021
68Dominican Republic7.72021
69Tajikistan7.692021
70Finland7.622021
71Canada7.532021
72Cyprus7.512021
72Latvia7.512021
74Croatia7.482021
75Egypt7.442021
76Paraguay7.312021
77Lithuania7.112021
78Venezuela7.032021
79Slovakia6.892021
80Portugal6.712021
81Central African Republic6.72021
82Samoa6.662021
83Channel Islands6.642021
84Saudi Arabia6.622021
85Eritrea6.492021
86Austria6.462021
87India6.382021
88Ireland6.362021
89Pakistan6.342021
90Belgium6.252021
91Gambia6.212021
92Estonia6.182021
93Nicaragua6.082021
94Azerbaijan6.042021
95Iceland6.032021
96Guam62021
97Guinea5.822021
98Kenya5.692021
99Malawi5.652021
100Romania5.592021
101Luxembourg5.572021
102Kazakhstan5.572021
103Bangladesh5.462021
104Mozambique5.412021
105Nigeria5.42021
106Uzbekistan5.362021
107United States5.352021
108Congo - Kinshasa5.292021
109Fiji5.222021
110Zambia5.22021
111Jamaica5.192021
112Hong Kong SAR China5.172021
113Bulgaria5.172021
114Kyrgyzstan5.152021
115Peru5.12021
116Bolivia5.092021
117Denmark5.062021
118Australia5.022021
119Maldives5.022021
120Switzerland5.012021
121Sri Lanka4.982021
122Brunei4.92021
123United Kingdom4.862021
124Israel4.812021
125Bhutan4.82021
126Vanuatu4.782021
127Russia4.752021
128Slovenia4.742021
129Malaysia4.642021
129Singapore4.642021
131China4.552021
132Burkina Faso4.512021
133Ecuador4.52021
134Turkmenistan4.462021
135Trinidad & Tobago4.452021
136Comoros4.392021
137Norway4.362021
138Myanmar (Burma)4.342021
139El Salvador4.332021
140Netherlands4.212021
141Hungary4.022021
142Mexico4.022021
143Mali4.012021
144Cameroon3.982021
145Ethiopia3.942021
146Belarus3.92021
147Liberia3.842021
148Indonesia3.832021
149New Zealand3.782021
150Malta3.752021
151North Korea3.692021
152South Korea3.642021
153Germany3.592021
154Sierra Leone3.552021
155Madagascar3.52021
156Senegal3.442021
157Uganda3.422021
158Philippines3.42021
159Poland3.272021
160Ghana3.22021
161United Arab Emirates3.12021
162Papua New Guinea3.032021
163Guinea-Bissau3.022021
164Kuwait2.972021
165Japan2.812021
166Czechia2.82021
167Côte d’Ivoire2.622021
168Vietnam2.382021
169Togo2.342021
169Timor-Leste2.342021
171Macao SAR China2.222021
172Guatemala2.172021
173Tonga2.112021
174Cuba2.112021
175Laos2.082021
176Oman1.92021
177Tanzania1.882021
178Benin1.832021
179Bahrain1.552021
180Chad1.532021
181Thailand1.222021
182Burundi1.122021
183Solomon Islands0.882021
184Niger0.812021
185Moldova0.792021
186Cambodia0.42021
187Qatar0.142021

How this ranking works

For annual statistics, the default is the newest year covering at least 70% of the maximum available country coverage, and at least 20 economies where possible. A ranking uses one year or report edition; missing observations are not replaced with another year. Newer years with lower coverage can be selected.

Intentional homicide rates and peace scores rank from lowest to highest; other indicators rank from highest to lowest. Ranks use original values and competition ranking for ties, for example 1, 2, 2, 4. Filtering or changing display order does not recalculate global ranks. Higher values are not necessarily better.

Statistics reflect the public source snapshot, not live measurements. Some series are modeled estimates or multi-year averages. See original metadata.

No observation (30)

American Samoa · Andorra · Antigua & Barbuda · Aruba · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Curaçao · Dominica · Faroe Islands · Gibraltar · Greenland · Grenada · Isle of Man · Kiribati · Kosovo · Liechtenstein · Marshall Islands · Micronesia · Monaco · Nauru · Northern Mariana Islands · Palau · San Marino · Seychelles · Sint Maarten · St. Kitts & Nevis · St. Martin · Turks & Caicos Islands · Tuvalu

Source & definition

Indicator definition
ILO modeled estimate of unemployed people as a percentage of the labor force.
Unit
%
Source & definition
World Bank · SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS
Open original source ↗
Original metadata
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.

{
  "id": "SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS",
  "name": "Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate)",
  "unit": "",
  "source": {
    "id": "2",
    "value": "World Development Indicators"
  },
  "sourceNote": "Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.",
  "sourceOrganization": "ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: January 17, 2026",
  "topics": [
    {
      "id": "4",
      "value": "Education "
    },
    {
      "id": "10",
      "value": "Social Protection & Labor"
    }
  ]
}