Labor & Business
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate)
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.
World Bank code: SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS • Data available for 187 countries • Latest year: 2025
In , Eswatini led Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) at 34.20.
The world median across 182 reporting countries was 5.08.
How "Labor & Business" indicators are measured
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.
Distribution — 2025
- Reporting
- 182 countries
- Median
- 5.08
- Mean
- 6.73
- 25th percentile
- 3.18
- 75th percentile
- 8.36
- Range
- 0.13 – 34.20
World at a Glance — 2025
Every reporting country, grouped by region, shaded by value (quintile).
Lighter = lower value · Darker = higher value. Hover a cell to see the country and value.
Highest Values — 2025
| # | Country | Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eswatini Sub-Saharan Africa | 34.20 |
| 2 | South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa | 32.39 |
| 3 | Djibouti Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 26.02 |
| 4 | Botswana Sub-Saharan Africa | 24.48 |
| 5 | Gabon Sub-Saharan Africa | 20.15 |
| 6 | Congo, Rep. Sub-Saharan Africa | 19.88 |
| 7 | Namibia Sub-Saharan Africa | 19.29 |
| 8 | Somalia, Fed. Rep. Sub-Saharan Africa | 18.95 |
| 9 | Libya Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 18.76 |
| 10 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines Latin America & Caribbean | 18.00 |
Looking for a specific country? Only the top and bottom 10 appear here. See where every country ranks for Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate).
View complete rankings →Biggest Movers — Year over Year
By Income Group — Average
| Income group | Countries | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| High income | 63 | 5.47 |
| Upper middle income | 48 | 8.27 |
| Lower middle income | 46 | 7.33 |
| Low income | 23 | 6.01 |
| Not classified | 2 | 4.32 |
By Region — Average
| Region | Countries | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia & Pacific | 29 | 3.74 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 48 | 6.29 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 31 | 6.80 |
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 21 | 9.31 |
| North America | 2 | 5.55 |
| South Asia | 6 | 5.03 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 45 | 8.16 |
Lowest Values — 2025
Source: World Bank Open Data (SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS), CC BY 4.0. Rankings show countries with available data for 2025.