Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Venezuela

Venezuela: Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates was 7.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
7.5%
Change on year
up 49.2%
World rank
58th
of 185 countries
All-time high
16.8%
in 2003
All-time low
5.0%
in 1978
Years of data
32
1975–2020

Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Venezuela, 1975–2020

57.51012.51517.51975199720201975: 7 %1976: 6.3 %1977: 5.1 %1978: 5 %1979: 5.8 %1980: 5.9 %1981: 7 %1982: 8.1 %1983: 11.5 %1984: 12.9 %1985: 13.2 %1986: 10.9 %1987: 9.1 %1988: 7.3 %1989: 9.7 %1990: 14 %1994: 8.6 %1995: 10.2 %2001: 8.8 %2002: 16.2 %2003: 16.8 %2005: 10.7 %2006: 8.6 %2007: 7.3 %2008: 6.2 %2009: 6.1 %2010: 7.1 %2011: 6.9 %2012: 6.6 %2016: 5.3 %2017: 5 %2020: 7.5 %

Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Venezuela is 7.5%, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of up 49.2% on the previous year and up 5.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Venezuela peaked at 16.8% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 5.0%, in 1978.

That places Venezuela 58th out of 185 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5.9% 5.0% 7.0% 5
1980s 9.5% 5.9% 13.2% 10
1990s 10.9% 8.6% 14.0% 3
2000s 10.1% 6.1% 16.8% 8
2010s 6.2% 5.0% 7.1% 5
2020s 7.5% 7.5% 7.5% 1

Countries ranked near Venezuela

  1. 55 Saint Lucia 7.7% compare
  2. 56 Iran 7.6% compare
  3. 57 Sudan 7.5% compare
  4. 59 Estonia 7.5% compare
  5. 60 Argentina 7.4% compare
  6. 61 Tuvalu 7.3% compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More reference data data for Venezuela

All data for Venezuela →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Venezuela?
Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Venezuela was 7.5% in 2020, 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 Venezuela?
The highest recorded value was 16.8% in 2003.
What is the lowest unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates recorded in Venezuela?
The lowest recorded value was 5.0% in 1978.
How does Venezuela rank for unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates?
Venezuela ranks 58th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates rising or falling in Venezuela?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Venezuela 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.

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About this data

Indicator
Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates
Unit
%
Source
Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
185 places, 5,169 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

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.