Labor & Business · Glossary
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate)
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS
Definition
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.
Methodology for Labor & Business indicators
Labor market indicators rely on household labor force surveys, which are conducted infrequently in many countries — annual data for some economies is partly modeled. Unemployment rates are particularly sensitive to definitions (ILO-standard versus national-standard, including or excluding discouraged workers). Informal-sector employment is undercounted in many low-income economies.
How to interpret
- Always check the unit and reporting year before comparing values across countries.
- NULL or "Not available" means the World Bank did not publish a value — we never estimate.
- Year-over-year changes can be driven by methodology updates, not just real economic shifts.
Related indicators in Labor & Business
- Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment in agriculture, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Cost of business start-up procedures (% of GNI per capita)
- Ease of doing business index (1=most business-friendly regulations)