Unemployment rate,Percent,,, by country
Countries reporting
71
Highest
32.4%
South Africa
Lowest
0.9%
Thailand
Median
5.2%
Years covered
37
1990–2026
Data points
2,236
What the numbers show
Unemployment rate,Percent,,, is currently reported for 71 countries. The highest value is 32.4% in South Africa; the lowest is 0.9% in Thailand.
The median across all reporting countries is 5.2%, and the mean is 6.3%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 35.
Over the past decade 16 countries rose and 55 fell. The largest increase was in Jordan (up 87.7%), and the largest decrease in Croatia (down 73.5%).
Unemployment rate,Percent: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | 32.4% | 2025 | up 27.7% | rising |
| 2 | Jordan | 22.9% | 2022 | up 87.7% | rising |
| 3 | Tunisia | 15.4% | 2025 | up 1.1% | flat |
| 4 | Morocco | 13.0% | 2025 | up 37.7% | rising |
| 5 | Algeria | 11.7% | 2018 | up 3.5% | falling |
| 6 | North Macedonia | 11.5% | 2025 | down 55.8% | falling |
| 7 | Spain | 10.5% | 2025 | down 52.4% | falling |
| 8 | Finland | 10.3% | 2026 | up 16.0% | falling |
| 9 | Greece | 8.9% | 2025 | down 64.5% | rising |
| 10 | Colombia | 8.9% | 2025 | down 3.6% | falling |
| 11 | Sweden | 8.6% | 2026 | up 21.7% | flat |
| 12 | Chile | 8.5% | 2025 | up 33.5% | rising |
| 13 | Turkey | 8.4% | 2025 | down 18.9% | rising |
| 14 | Lithuania | 8.3% | 2026 | up 2.7% | rising |
| 15 | Austria | 7.6% | 2026 | down 16.5% | rising |
| 16 | Uruguay | 7.5% | 2025 | down 0.9% | falling |
| 17 | Estonia | 7.5% | 2025 | up 20.6% | falling |
| 17 | France | 7.5% | 2025 | down 25.7% | falling |
| 19 | Argentina | 7.4% | 2025 | up 12.4% | falling |
| 20 | Latvia | 6.9% | 2025 | down 29.7% | falling |
| 21 | Venezuela | 6.9% | 2018 | down 5.9% | falling |
| 22 | Pakistan | 6.9% | 2025 | up 16.9% | rising |
| 23 | Canada | 6.6% | 2026 | down 6.2% | falling |
| 24 | Luxembourg | 6.3% | 2026 | down 1.1% | rising |
| 25 | Egypt | 6.2% | 2025 | down 51.0% | falling |
| 26 | Bahrain | 6.2% | 2024 | up 63.2% | volatile |
| 27 | Belgium | 6.2% | 2025 | down 28.4% | falling |
| 28 | Iceland | 6.2% | 2026 | up 79.6% | rising |
| 29 | Italy | 6.1% | 2025 | down 48.9% | rising |
| 30 | Portugal | 6.0% | 2025 | down 53.4% | rising |
| 31 | India | 6.0% | 2021 | down 38.8% | falling |
| 32 | Brazil | 5.9% | 2025 | down 29.5% | falling |
| 33 | Poland | 5.9% | 2026 | down 33.7% | falling |
| 34 | Peru | 5.4% | 2026 | down 20.0% | falling |
| 35 | New Zealand | 5.3% | 2025 | down 2.3% | falling |
| 36 | Bulgaria | 5.2% | 2026 | down 39.7% | falling |
| 37 | Philippines | 5.2% | 2026 | down 4.6% | falling |
| 38 | Dominican Republic | 5.1% | 2025 | down 30.9% | falling |
| 39 | Ireland | 5.0% | 2026 | down 40.2% | falling |
| 40 | Slovakia | 5.0% | 2025 | down 56.6% | falling |
| 41 | United Kingdom | 4.8% | 2025 | down 9.8% | falling |
| 42 | Kazakhstan | 4.8% | 2020 | down 16.8% | falling |
| 43 | Slovenia | 4.6% | 2025 | down 62.5% | falling |
| 44 | Hungary | 4.6% | 2026 | down 7.5% | falling |
| 45 | Norway | 4.5% | 2025 | down 2.9% | falling |
| 46 | Cyprus | 4.4% | 2025 | down 70.7% | volatile |
| 47 | Australia | 4.3% | 2026 | down 24.0% | falling |
| 48 | United States | 4.3% | 2026 | down 12.4% | falling |
| 49 | Netherlands | 4.0% | 2026 | down 43.3% | falling |
| 50 | Croatia | 4.0% | 2026 | down 73.5% | falling |
| 51 | China | 3.9% | 2021 | down 4.6% | flat |
| 52 | Sri Lanka | 3.9% | 2025 | down 17.0% | falling |
| 53 | Germany | 3.8% | 2025 | down 13.4% | falling |
| 54 | Hong Kong | 3.7% | 2026 | up 9.5% | rising |
| 55 | Ecuador | 3.6% | 2025 | down 17.5% | falling |
| 56 | Taiwan | 3.3% | 2026 | down 14.9% | rising |
| 57 | Romania | 3.3% | 2025 | down 35.9% | falling |
| 58 | Saudi Arabia | 3.2% | 2025 | down 42.1% | falling |
| 59 | Malta | 3.1% | 2025 | down 42.6% | falling |
| 60 | Switzerland | 3.0% | 2026 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 61 | Israel | 2.9% | 2026 | down 39.4% | falling |
| 62 | Denmark | 2.9% | 2025 | down 36.2% | falling |
| 63 | Czechia | 2.9% | 2025 | down 42.4% | falling |
| 64 | South Korea | 2.8% | 2026 | down 23.6% | falling |
| 65 | Mexico | 2.7% | 2026 | down 29.7% | falling |
| 66 | Japan | 2.5% | 2025 | down 25.5% | falling |
| 67 | Russia | 2.2% | 2025 | down 59.8% | falling |
| 68 | Vietnam | 2.2% | 2025 | down 5.6% | flat |
| 69 | Belarus | 2.2% | 2026 | down 64.3% | volatile |
| 70 | Singapore | 2.0% | 2025 | up 5.3% | flat |
| 71 | Thailand | 0.9% | 2026 | down 6.2% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Small states 32.4%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 9.1%
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 7.8%
- Upper middle income 7.3%
- Middle income 6.6%
- Lower middle income 5.5%
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 5.5%
- South Asia 3.9%
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 3.0%