| Field Listing :: Unemployment rate |
| This entry contains the percent of the labor force that is without jobs. Substantial underemployment might be noted. | |
| Country Comparison to the World |
Country |
Unemployment rate(%) |
|---|
| Afghanistan |
35% (2008 est.)
40% (2005 est.) |
| Albania |
13% (2012 est.)
13.4% (2011 est.) note: these are official rates, but actual rates may exceed 30% due to preponderance of near-subsistence farming |
| Algeria |
10.7% (2012 est.)
10% (2011 est.) |
| American Samoa | 29.8% (2005) |
| Andorra |
2.9% (2012 est.)
1.9% (2011 est.) |
| Angola | NA% |
| Anguilla | 8% (2002) |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 11% (2001 est.) |
| Argentina |
7.2% (2012 est.)
7.2% (2011 est.) |
| Armenia |
17.3% (2012 est.)
18.4% (2011 est.) |
| Aruba | 6.9% (2005 est.) |
| Australia |
5.2% (2012 est.)
5.1% (2011 est.) |
| Austria |
2.9% (2012 est.)
1.9% (2011 est.) |
| Azerbaijan |
5.7% (2012 est.)
5.4% (2011 est.) |
| Bahamas, The |
14% (2012 est.)
14.2% (2009 est.) |
| Bahrain | 15% (2005 est.) |
| Bangladesh |
5% (2012 est.)
5% (2011 est.) note: about 40% of the population is underemployed; many participants in the labor force work only a few hours a week, at low wages |
| Barbados |
11.6% (2012 est.)
11.2% (2011 est.) |
| Belarus |
1% (2009 est.)
1.6% (2005) note: official registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers |
| Belgium |
7.6% (2012 est.)
7.2% (2011 est.) |
| Belize |
11.3% (2012)
13.1% (2009) |
| Benin | NA% |
| Bermuda | 8% (2012 est.) |
| Bhutan |
4% (2009)
2.5% (2004) |
| Bolivia |
7.5% (2012 est.)
7.6% (2011 est.) note: data are for urban areas; widespread underemployment |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina |
44.1% (2012 est.)
43.3% (2011 est.) note: official rate; actual rate is lower as many technically unemployed persons work in the gray economy |
| Botswana |
17.8% (2009 est.)
7.5% (2007 est.) |
| Brazil |
5.5% (2012 est.)
6% (2011 est.) |
| British Virgin Islands | 8.7% (2010 est.) |
| Brunei |
2.6% (2011)
2.7% (2010) |
| Bulgaria |
11.1% (2012 est.)
9.6% (2011 est.) |
| Burkina Faso | 77% (2004) |
| Burma |
5.4% (2012 est.)
5.5% (2011 est.) |
| Burundi | NA% |
| Cabo Verde | 21% (2000 est.) |
| Cambodia |
0% (2011 est.)
0.3% (2010 est.) |
| Cameroon | 30% (2001 est.) |
| Canada |
7.3% (2012 est.)
7.5% (2011 est.) |
| Cayman Islands |
4% (2008)
4.4% (2004) |
| Central African Republic |
8% (2001 est.)
note: 23% unemployment in Bangui |
| Chad | NA% |
| Chile |
6.3% (2012 est.)
6.6% (2011 est.) |
| China |
6.5% (2012 est.)
6.5% (2011 est.) note: registered urban unemployment, which excludes private enterprises and migrants, was 4.1% in 2012 |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 60% (2000 est.) |
| Colombia |
10.4% (2012 est.)
10.8% (2011 est.) |
| Comoros | 20% (1996 est.) |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | NA% |
| Congo, Republic of the | 53% (2012 est.) |
| Cook Islands | 13.1% (2005) |
| Costa Rica |
7.8% (2012 est.)
7.7% (2011 est.) |
| Cote d'Ivoire | NA% |
| Croatia |
19.1% (2012 est.)
17.8% (2011 est.) |
| Cuba |
3.8% (2012 est.)
3.2% (2011 est.) note: these are official rates; unofficial estimates are about double the official figures |
| Curacao |
9.8% (2011 est.)
10.3% (2008 est.) |
| Cyprus |
11.9% (2012 est.)
7.9% (2011 est.) |
| Czech Republic |
6.8% (2012 est.)
6.7% (2011 est.) |
| Denmark |
6% (2012 est.)
6% (2011 est.) |
| Djibouti |
59% (2007 est.)
note: data are for urban areas, 83% in rural areas |
| Dominica | 23% (2000 est.) |
| Dominican Republic |
14.3% (2012 est.)
14.6% (2011 est.) |
| Ecuador |
4.9% (2012 est.)
6% (2011 est.) |
| Egypt |
12.7% (2012 est.)
12% (2011 est.) |
| El Salvador |
6.1% (2012 est.)
6.6% (2011 est.) note: data are official rates; but the economy has much underemployment |
| Equatorial Guinea | 22.3% (2009 est.) |
| Eritrea | NA% |
| Estonia |
10.2% (2012 est.)
12.5% (2011 est.) |
| Ethiopia | NA% |
| European Union |
10.2% (2012 est.)
9.4% (2011) |
| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | 4.1% (2010) |
| Faroe Islands |
6.8% (2011)
5.7% (2010) |
| Fiji | 7.6% (1999) |
| Finland |
7.8% (2012 est.)
7.8% (2011 est.) |
| France |
9.8% (2012 est.)
9.2% (2011 est.) |
| French Polynesia |
11.7% (2010)
11.7% (2005) |
| Gabon | 21% (2006 est.) |
| Gambia, The | NA% |
| Gaza Strip |
23% (2012 est.)
20.9% (2011 est.) |
| Georgia |
15% (2012 est.)
15.1% (2011 est.) |
| Germany |
5.5% (2012 est.)
6% (2011 est.) |
| Ghana | 11% (2000 est.) |
| Gibraltar | 3% (2005 est.) |
| Greece |
24.3% (2012 est.)
17.7% (2011 est.) |
| Greenland |
4.9% (2011 est.)
4.2% (2010 est.) |
| Grenada |
25% (2008)
12.5% (2000) |
| Guam | 8.2% (2010 est.) |
| Guatemala |
4.1% (2011 est.)
3.5% (2010 est.) |
| Guernsey | 0.9% (March 2006 est.) |
| Guinea | NA% |
| Guinea-Bissau | NA% |
| Guyana | 11% (2007) |
| Haiti |
40.6% (2010 est.)
note: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs |
| Honduras |
4.4% (2012 est.)
4.3% (2011 est.) note: about one-third of the people are underemployed |
| Hong Kong |
3.3% (2012 est.)
3.4% (2011 est.) |
| Hungary |
10.7% (2012 est.)
10.7% (2011 est.) |
| Iceland |
5.8% (2012 est.)
7.4% (2011 est.) |
| India |
8.5% (2012 est.)
8.1% (2011 est.) |
| Indonesia |
6.1% (2012 est.)
6.6% (2011 est.) |
| Iran |
15.5% (2012 est.)
14.1% (2011 est.) note: data are according to the Iranian Government |
| Iraq |
16% (2012 est.)
15% (2010 est.) |
| Ireland |
14.7% (2012 est.)
14.6% (2011 est.) |
| Isle of Man |
2% (April 2011 est.)
1.8% (October 2010 est.) |
| Israel |
6.9% (2012 est.)
7% (2011 est.) |
| Italy |
10.7% (2012 est.)
8.4% (2011 est.) |
| Jamaica |
13.7% (2012 est.)
12.7% (2011 est.) |
| Japan |
4.4% (2012 est.)
4.6% (2011 est.) |
| Jersey |
1.7% (2012 est.)
2.2% (2006 est.) |
| Jordan |
12.5% (2012 est.)
12.1% (2011 est.) note: official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30% |
| Kazakhstan |
5.3% (2012 est.)
5.4% (2011 est.) |
| Kenya |
40% (2008 est.)
40% (2001 est.) |
| Kiribati | 2% (1992 est.) |
| Korea, North | NA% |
| Korea, South |
3.2% (2012 est.)
3.4% (2011 est.) |
| Kosovo |
45.3% (2011 est.)
45.4% (2010 est.) note: Kosovo has a large informal sector that may not be reflected in these data |
| Kuwait | 2.2% (2004 est.) |
| Kyrgyzstan |
8.6% (2011 est.)
18% (2004 est.) |
| Laos |
2.5% (2009 est.)
2.4% (2005 est.) |
| Latvia |
11.4% (2012 est.)
12.8% (2011 est.) |
| Lebanon | NA% |
| Lesotho |
25% (2008 est.)
45% (2002 est.) |
| Liberia | 85% (2003 est.) |
| Libya | 30% (2004 est.) |
| Liechtenstein |
2.5% (2011)
2.2% (2010) |
| Lithuania |
13.2% (2012 est.)
15.3% (2011 est.) |
| Luxembourg |
6.1% (2012 est.)
5.6% (2011 est.) |
| Macau |
2% (2012 est.)
2.6% (2011 est.) |
| Macedonia |
31% (2012 est.)
31.4% (2011 est.) |
| Malawi | NA% |
| Malaysia |
3% (2012 est.)
3.1% (2011 est.) |
| Maldives |
28% (2012 est.)
14.5% (2010 est.) |
| Mali | 30% (2004 est.) |
| Malta |
6.4% (2012 est.)
6.5% (2011 est.) |
| Marshall Islands |
36% (2006 est.)
30.9% (2000 est.) |
| Mauritania |
30% (2008 est.)
20% (2004 est.) |
| Mauritius |
8.1% (2012 est.)
7.9% (2011 est.) |
| Mexico |
5% (2012 est.)
5.2% (2011 est.) note: underemployment may be as high as 25% |
| Micronesia, Federated States of | 22% (2000 est.) |
| Moldova |
5.6% (2012 est.)
6.7% (2011 est.) |
| Monaco | 0% (2011) |
| Mongolia |
9% (2011 est.)
13% (2010) |
| Montenegro |
19.1% (2012 est.)
11.5% (2011 est.) |
| Montserrat | 6% (1998 est.) |
| Morocco |
9% (2012 est.)
8.9% (2011 est.) |
| Mozambique |
17% (2007 est.)
21% (1997 est.) |
| Namibia |
51.2% (2008 est.)
36.7% (2004 est.) |
| Nauru | 90% (2004 est.) |
| Nepal |
46% (2008 est.)
42% (2004 est.) |
| Netherlands |
5.3% (2012 est.)
4.4% (2011 est.) |
| New Caledonia | 17.1% (2004) |
| New Zealand |
6.9% (2012 est.)
6.5% (2011 est.) |
| Nicaragua |
7.4% (2012 est.)
7.3% (2011 est.) note: underemployment was 46.5% in 2008 |
| Niger | NA% |
| Nigeria |
23.9% (2011 est.)
4.9% (2011 est.) |
| Niue | 12% (2001) |
| Northern Mariana Islands |
11.2% (2010 est.)
8% (2005 est.) |
| Norway |
3.2% (2012 est.)
3.3% (2011 est.) |
| Oman | 15% (2004 est.) |
| Pakistan |
6% (2012 est.)
6% (2011 est.) note: substantial underemployment exists |
| Palau | 4.2% (2005 est.) |
| Panama |
4.4% (2012 est.)
4.5% (2011 est.) |
| Papua New Guinea |
1.9% (2008 est.)
1.8% (2004) |
| Paraguay |
6.9% (2012 est.)
6.6% (2011 est.) |
| Peru |
5.2% (2012 est.)
7.9% (2011 est.) note: data are for metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment |
| Philippines |
7% (2012 est.)
7% (2011 est.) |
| Poland |
12.8% (2012 est.)
12.4% (2011 est.) |
| Portugal |
15.7% (2012 est.)
12.7% (2011 est.) |
| Puerto Rico |
16% (2011 est.)
12% (2002 est.) |
| Qatar |
0.5% (2012 est.)
0.4% (2011 est.) |
| Romania |
5.6% (2012 est.)
5.1% (2011 est.) |
| Russia |
5.5% (2012 est.)
6.6% (2011 est.) |
| Rwanda | NA% |
| Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha | 14% (1998 est.) |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 4.5% (1997) |
| Saint Lucia | 20% (2003 est.) |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 9.9% (2008 est.) |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 15% (2001 est.) |
| Samoa | NA% |
| San Marino |
7% (2012)
5.5% (2011) |
| Sao Tome and Principe | NA% |
| Saudi Arabia |
10.6% (2012 est.)
10.8% (2011 est.) note: data are for Saudi males only (local bank estimates; some estimates range as high as 25%) |
| Senegal | 48% (2007 est.) |
| Serbia |
25.9% (2012 est.)
23.7% (2011 est.) |
| Seychelles | 2% (2006 est.) |
| Sierra Leone | NA% |
| Singapore |
1.9% (2012 est.)
2% (2011 est.) |
| Sint Maarten |
12% (2012 est.)
10.6% (2008 est.) |
| Slovakia |
13.6% (2012 est.)
13.2% (2011 est.) |
| Slovenia |
12% (2012 est.)
11.8% (2011 est.) |
| Solomon Islands | NA% |
| Somalia | NA% |
| South Africa |
25.1% (2012 est.)
24.9% (2011 est.) |
| Spain |
25.1% (2012 est.)
21.7% (2011 est.) |
| Sri Lanka |
4% (2012 est.)
4.2% (2011 est.) |
| Sudan |
20% (2012 est.)
18.7% (2002 est.) |
| Suriname |
9% (2008)
12.1% (2006) |
| Swaziland | 40% (2006 est.) |
| Sweden |
8% (2012 est.)
7.8% (2011 est.) |
| Switzerland |
2.9% (2012 est.)
2.8% (2011 est.) |
| Syria |
18% (2012 est.)
14.9% (2011 est.) |
| Taiwan |
4.2% (2012 est.)
4.4% (2011 est.) |
| Tajikistan |
2.5% (2012 est.)
2.2% (2009 est.) note: official rates; actual unemployment is much higher |
| Tanzania | NA% |
| Thailand |
0.7% (2012 est.)
0.7% (2011 est.) |
| Timor-Leste |
18.4% (2010 est.)
20% (2006 est.) |
| Togo | NA% |
| Tokelau | NA% |
| Tonga | 13% (FY03/04 est.) |
| Trinidad and Tobago |
5.6% (2012 est.)
5.5% (2011 est.) |
| Tunisia |
17.4% (2012 est.)
18.3% (2011 est.) |
| Turkey |
9.2% (2012 est.)
9.8% (2011 est.) note: underemployment amounted to 4% in 2008 |
| Turkmenistan | 60% (2004 est.) |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 10% (1997 est.) |
| Tuvalu | NA% |
| Uganda | NA% |
| Ukraine |
7.5% (2012 est.)
7.9% (2011 est.) note: officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers |
| United Arab Emirates | 2.4% (2001) |
| United Kingdom |
8% (2012 est.)
8.1% (2011 est.) |
| United States |
8.1% (2012 est.)
8.9% (2011 est.) |
| Uruguay |
6% (2012 est.)
6% (2011 est.) |
| Uzbekistan |
4.9% (2012 est.)
4.3% (2011 est.) note: officially measured by the Ministry of Labor, plus another 20% underemployed |
| Vanuatu | 1.7% (1999) |
| Venezuela |
7.8% (2012 est.)
8.2% (2011 est.) |
| Vietnam |
3.2% (2012 est.)
3.6% (2011 est.) |
| Virgin Islands | 6.2% (2004) |
| Wallis and Futuna | 12.2% (2008) |
| West Bank |
23% (2012 est.)
20.9% (2011 est.) |
| Western Sahara | NA% |
| World |
9% (2012 est.)
8.4% (2011 est.) note: 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment (2007 est.) |
| Yemen | 35% (2003 est.) |
| Zambia |
14% (2006 est.)
50% (2000 est.) |
| Zimbabwe |
95% (2009 est.)
80% (2005 est.) note: figures reflect underemployment; true unemployment is unknown and, under current economic conditions, unknowable |