CIA - The World Factbook

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	40% (2008 est.) 40% (2005 est.)


Albania	12.5% (2008 est.) 13.2% (2007 est.) note: these are official rates, but actual rates may exceed 30% due to preponderance of near-subsistence farming


Algeria	12.8% (2008 est.) 11.8% (2007 est.)


American Samoa	29.8% (2005)


Andorra	0% (2007) 0% (2006)


Angola	NA


Anguilla	8% (2002)


Antigua and Barbuda	11% (2001 est.)


Argentina	7.9% (2008 est.) 8.5% (2007 est.)


Armenia	7.1% (2007 est.)


Aruba	6.9% (2005 est.)


Australia	4.2% (2008 est.) 4.4% (2007 est.)


Austria	3.9% (2008 est.) 4.4% (2007 est.)


Azerbaijan	0.9% (2008 est.) 1% (2007 est.)


Bahamas, The	7.6% (2006 est.)


Bahrain	15% (2005 est.)


Bangladesh	2.5% (2008 est.) 2.5% (2007 est.)


Barbados	10.7% (2003 est.)


Belarus	1.6% (2005) note: officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers


Belgium	7% (2008 est.) 7.5% (2007 est.)


Belize	8.1% (2008) 9.4% (2006)


Benin	NA%


Bermuda	2.1% (2004 est.)


Bhutan	2.5% (2004)


Bolivia	7.5% (2008 est.) 7.5% (2007 est.) note: data are for urban areas; widespread underemployment


Bosnia and Herzegovina	29% (2007 est.) 45.5% (31 December 2004 est.) note: official rate; gray economy may reduce actual unemployment to 25-30%


Botswana	7.5% (2007 est.)


Brazil	7.9% (2008 est.) 9.3% (2007 est.)


British Virgin Islands	3.6% (1997)


Brunei	3.7% (2008) 4% (2006)


Bulgaria	6.3% (2008 est.) 7.7% (2007 est.)


Burkina Faso	77% (2004)


Burma	5% (2008 est.) 5.2% (2007 est.)


Burundi	NA%


Cambodia	3.5% (2007 est.) 2.5% (2000 est.)


Cameroon	30% (2001 est.)


Canada	6.2% (2008 est.) 6% (2007 est.)


Cape Verde	21% (2000 est.)


Cayman Islands	4.4% (2004)


Central African Republic	8% (2001 est.) note: 23% unemployment for Bangui


Chad	NA%


Chile	7.8% (2008 est.) 7% (2007 est.)


China	4% (2008 est.) 4% (2007 est.) note: official data for urban areas only; including migrants may boost total unemployment to 9%; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas


Cocos (Keeling) Islands	60% (2000 est.)


Colombia	11.3% (2008 est.) 11.2% (2007 est.)


Comoros	20% (1996 est.)


Congo, Democratic Republic of the	NA%


Congo, Republic of the	NA%


Cook Islands	13.1% (2005)


Costa Rica	4.9% (2008 est.) 4.6% (2007 est.)


Cote d'Ivoire	note: unemployment may have climbed to 40-50% as a result of the civil war


Croatia	13.7% (2008 est.) 11.8% (2007 est.)


Cuba	1.6% (2008 est.) 1.8% (2007 est.)


Cyprus	3.6% (2008 est.) 3.9% (2007 est.)


Czech Republic	5.4% (2008 est.) 6.6% (2007 est.)


Denmark	1.8% (2008 est.) 2.8% (2007 est.)


Djibouti	59% (2007 est.) note: data are for urban areas, 83% in rural areas


Dominica	23% (2000 est.)


Dominican Republic	14.1% (2008 est.) 15.6% (2007 est.)


Ecuador	7.3% (2008 est.) 8.8% (2007 est.)


Egypt	8.7% (2008 est.) 9.1% (2007 est.)


El Salvador	6.9% (2008 est.) 6.2% (2007 est.) note: data are official rates; but the economy has much underemployment


Equatorial Guinea	30% (1998 est.)


Eritrea	NA%


Estonia	5.7% (2008 est.) 4.7% (2007 est.)


Ethiopia	NA%


European Union	7.2% (2008 est.) 8.5% (2006 est.)


Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)


Faroe Islands	1.4% (2007) 2.1% (2006)


Fiji	7.6% (1999)


Finland	6.4% (2008 est.) 6.9% (2007 est.)


France	7.4% (2008 est.) 7.9% (2007 est.)


French Polynesia	11.7% (2005)


Gabon	21% (2006 est.)


Gambia, The	NA%


Gaza Strip	41.3% (June 2008) 34.8% (2006)


Georgia	13.6% (2006 est.)


Germany	7.8% (2008 est.) 9% (2007 est.) note: this is the International Labor Organization's estimated rate for international comparisons; Germany's Federal Employment Office estimated a seasonally adjusted rate of 10.8%


Ghana	11% (2000 est.)


Gibraltar	3% (2005 est.)


Greece	7.7% (2008 est.) 8.3% (2007 est.)


Greenland	9.3% (2005 est.)


Grenada	12.5% (2000)


Guam	11.4% (2002 est.)


Guatemala	3.2% (2005 est.)


Guernsey	0.9% (March 2006 est.)


Guinea	NA%


Guinea-Bissau	NA%


Guyana	11% (2007)


Haiti	NA% note: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs


Honduras	3.5% (2008 est.) note: high level of underemployment with up to a third of the labor force seeking more work.


Hong Kong	3.5% (2008 est.) 4% (2007 est.)


Hungary	7.8% (2008 est.) 7.3% (2007 est.)


Iceland	1.6% (2008 est.) 1% (2007 est.) note: this figure climbed to 9.4% as of February 2009


India	9.1% (2008 est.) 7.2% (2007 est.)


Indonesia	8.4% (2008 est.) 9.1% (2007 est.)


Iran	12.5% (2008 est.) 12% (2007 est.) note: data are according to the Iranian Government


Iraq	18.2% (2008 est.) 18% (2006 est.) note: official data; unofficial estimates as high as 30%


Ireland	6.3% (2008 est.) 4.6% (2007 est.)


Isle of Man	1.5% (December 2006 est.)


Israel	6.1% (2008 est.) 7.3% (2007 est.)


Italy	6.8% (2008 est.) 6.2% (2007 est.)


Jamaica	11% (2008 est.) 9.9% (2007 est.)


Japan	4% (2008 est.) 3.8% (2007 est.)


Jersey	2.2% (2006 est.)


Jordan	12.6% (2008 est.) 13.5% (2007 est.) note: official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30%


Kazakhstan	6.6% (2008 est.) 7.3% (2007 est.)


Kenya	40% (2008 est.) 40% (2001 est.)


Kiribati	2% (1992 est.)


Korea, North	NA%


Korea, South	3.2% (2008 est.) 3.3% (2007 est.)


Kosovo	40% (2007 est.)


Kuwait	2.2% (2004 est.)


Kyrgyzstan	18% (2004 est.)


Laos	2.4% (2005 est.)


Latvia	7.5% (2008 est.) 5.7% (2007 est.)


Lebanon	9.2% (2007 est.)


Lesotho	45% (2002)


Liberia	85% (2003 est.)


Libya	30% (2004 est.)


Liechtenstein	1.5% (31 December 2007) 1.3% (September 2002)


Lithuania	5.8% (2008 est.) 3.5% (2007 est.) note: based on survey data, official registered unemployment of 5.7%


Luxembourg	4.4% (2008 est.) 4.4% (2007 est.)


Macau	3% (2008) 3.1% (2006)


Macedonia	33.8% (2008 est.) 34.9% (2007 est.)


Malawi	NA%


Malaysia	3.3% (2008 est.) 3.2% (2007 est.)


Maldives	14.4% (2006 est.)


Mali	30% (2004 est.)


Malta	6% (2008 est.)


Marshall Islands	36% (2006 est.) 30.9% (2000 est.)


Mauritania	30% (2008 est.) 20% (2004 est.)


Mauritius	7.2% (2008 est.) 8.8% (2007 est.)


Mayotte	25.4% (2005)


Mexico	4% (2008 est.) 3.7% (2007 est.) note: underemployment is perhaps 25%


Micronesia, Federated States of	22% (2000 est.)


Moldova	1.5% (2008 est.)


Monaco	0% (2005)


Mongolia	2.8% (2008) 3% (2007)


Montenegro	14.7% (2007 est.)


Montserrat	6% (1998 est.)


Morocco	9.5% (2008 est.) 9.8% (2007 est.)


Mozambique	21% (1997 est.)


Namibia	5% (2008 est.)


Nauru	90% (2004 est.)


Nepal	46% (2008 est.) 42% (2004 est.)


Netherlands	4% (2008 est.) 4.6% (2007 est.)


Netherlands Antilles	15.5% (2002 est.)


New Caledonia	17.1% (2004)


New Zealand	4.2% (2008 est.) 3.6% (2007 est.)


Nicaragua	5.6% (2008 est.) 4.9% (2007 est.) note: underemployment was 46.5% in 2008


Niger	NA%


Nigeria	4.9% (2007 est.)


Niue	12% (2001)


Northern Mariana Islands	8% (2005 est.) 3.9% (2001)


Norway	2.6% (2008 est.) 2.5% (2007 est.)


Oman	15% (2004 est.)


Pakistan	13.6% (2008 est.) 5.6% (2007 est.) note: substantial underemployment exists


Palau	4.2% (2005 est.)


Panama	5.6% (2008 est.) 6.4% (2007 est.)


Papua New Guinea	1.9% (2004)


Paraguay	5.4% (2008 est.) 5.6% (2007 est.)


Peru	8.1% (2008 est.) 6.9% (2007 est.) note: data are for metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment


Philippines	7.4% (2008 est.) 7.3% (2007 est.)


Poland	9.8% (2008 est.) 12.8% (2007 est.)


Portugal	7.6% (2008 est.) 8% (2007 est.)


Puerto Rico	12% (2002)


Qatar	0.4% (2008 est.) 0.7% (2007 est.)


Romania	4.4% (2008 est.) 4.1% (2007 est.)


Russia	6.4% (2008 est.) 6.2% (2007 est.)


Rwanda	NA%


Saint Helena	14% (1998 est.)


Saint Kitts and Nevis	4.5% (1997)


Saint Lucia	20% (2003 est.)


Saint Pierre and Miquelon	10.3% (1999)


Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	15% (2001 est.)


Samoa	NA%


San Marino	3.1% (2008)


Sao Tome and Principe	NA%


Saudi Arabia	11.8% (2008 est.) 13% (2004 est.) note: data are for Saudi males only (local bank estimates; some estimates range as high as 25%)


Senegal	48% (2007 est.)


Serbia	18.8% (2007 est.)


Seychelles	2% (2006 est.)


Sierra Leone	NA%


Singapore	2.2% (2008 est.) 2.1% (2007 est.)


Slovakia	7.7% (2008 est.) 8.4% (2007 est.)


Slovenia	6.7% (2008 est.) 7.7% (2007 est.)


Solomon Islands	NA%


Somalia	NA%


South Africa	22.9% (2008 est.) 24.3% (2007 est.)


Spain	11.3% (2008 est.) 8.3% (2007 est.)


Sri Lanka	5.2% (2008 est.) 6% (2007 est.)


Sudan	18.7% (2002 est.)


Suriname	9.5% (2004)


Swaziland	40% (2006 est.)


Sweden	6.2% (2008 est.) 6.1% (2007 est.)


Switzerland	2.6% (2008 est.) 2.8% (2007 est.)


Syria	8.6% (2008 est.) 9% (2007 est.)


Taiwan	4.1% (2008 est.) 3.9% (2007 est.)


Tajikistan	2.3% (2008 est.) 2.4% (2007 est.) note: official rates; actual unemployment is higher


Tanzania	NA%


Thailand	1.4% (2008 est.) 1.4% (2007 est.)


Timor-Leste	20% (2006 est.) note: data are for rural areas, unemployment rises to more than 40% among urban youth


Togo	NA%


Tokelau	NA%


Tonga	13% (FY03/04 est.)


Trinidad and Tobago	4.6% (2008 est.) 4.5% (2007 est.)


Tunisia	14.1% (2008 est.) 14.1% (2007 est.)


Turkey	11% (2008 est.) 9.9% (2007 est.) note: underemployment amounted to 4% in 2008


Turkmenistan	60% (2004 est.)


Turks and Caicos Islands	10% (1997 est.)


Tuvalu	NA%


Uganda	NA%


Ukraine	3% (2008 est.) 2.3% (2007 est.) note: officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers


United Arab Emirates	2.4% (2001)


United Kingdom	5.6% (2008 est.) 5.3% (2007 est.)


United States	5.8% (2008 est.) 4.6% (2007 est.)


Uruguay	7.6% (2008 est.) 9.2% (2007 est.)


Uzbekistan	1% (2008 est.) 0.8% (2007 est.) note: officially measured by the Ministry of Labor, plus another 20% underemployed


Vanuatu	1.7% (1999)


Venezuela	7.4% (2008 est.) 8.5% (2007 est.)


Vietnam	4.7% (2008 est.) 4.3% (2007 est.)


Virgin Islands	6.2% (2004)


Wallis and Futuna	15.2% (2003)


West Bank	16.3% (2008 est.) 18.6% (2006)


Western Sahara	NA%


World	30% (2007 est.) note: combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment


Yemen	35% (2003 est.)


Zambia	50% (2000 est.)


Zimbabwe	80% (2005 est.)