Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates was 5.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Puerto Rico, 1971–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Puerto Rico recorded 5.6% for unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 53.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Puerto Rico peaked at 23.5% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 2024.
That places Puerto Rico 87th out of 185 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Puerto Rico, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 11.5% | — |
| 1972 | 11.8% | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 11.6% | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 13.1% | +13.0% |
| 1975 | 19.0% | +44.5% |
| 1976 | 19.7% | +3.6% |
| 1977 | 19.0% | -3.1% |
| 1978 | 16.7% | -12.1% |
| 1979 | 15.4% | -7.7% |
| 1980 | 17.0% | +10.3% |
| 1981 | 18.0% | +5.8% |
| 1982 | 19.9% | +10.5% |
| 1983 | 23.5% | +18.2% |
| 1984 | 21.1% | -10.4% |
| 1985 | 21.8% | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 19.5% | -10.4% |
| 1987 | 17.9% | -8.3% |
| 1988 | 15.8% | -11.9% |
| 1989 | 14.6% | -7.3% |
| 1990 | 15.3% | +4.5% |
| 1991 | 17.1% | +11.9% |
| 1992 | 17.0% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 17.0% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 14.7% | -13.5% |
| 1995 | 13.9% | -5.3% |
| 1996 | 13.6% | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 13.8% | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 13.5% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 11.8% | -12.2% |
| 2000 | 10.2% | -14.0% |
| 2001 | 11.5% | +13.0% |
| 2002 | 11.9% | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 11.8% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 10.3% | -12.5% |
| 2005 | 11.3% | +10.1% |
| 2006 | 11.0% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 10.9% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 11.5% | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 15.0% | +30.7% |
| 2010 | 16.0% | +6.9% |
| 2011 | 15.8% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 14.5% | -8.0% |
| 2013 | 14.3% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 13.9% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 11.9% | -14.1% |
| 2016 | 11.8% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 10.8% | -8.5% |
| 2018 | 9.2% | -14.8% |
| 2019 | 8.3% | -9.8% |
| 2020 | 15.3% | +84.8% |
| 2021 | 7.9% | -48.5% |
| 2022 | 6.0% | -24.1% |
| 2023 | 5.9% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 5.6% | -5.1% |
| 2025 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
Puerto Rico compared with similar countries
- Puerto Rico's 5.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.9%, 1.1× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Puerto Rico's 5.6% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 6.3%, 88% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Puerto Rico changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +84.8% | 8.3% | 15.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15.3% | 11.5% | 19.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 18.9% | 14.6% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.8% | 11.8% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.5% | 10.2% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.7% | 8.3% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.7% | 5.6% | 15.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Puerto Rico
More reference data data for Puerto Rico
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.2501 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1709 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Agricultural 326.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 1,009 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 34.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Burning - Crop residues 0.0011 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Enteric Fermentation 34.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 36.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Manure Management 1.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Burning - Crop 0.0077 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Puerto Rico?
- Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Puerto Rico was 5.6% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 23.5% in 1983.
- What is the lowest unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 2024.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates?
- Puerto Rico ranks 87th out of 185 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 53.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Puerto Rico data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.