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Field Listing :: Unemployment rate
This entry contains the percent of the labor force that is without jobs. Substantial underemployment might be noted.
Country Comparison to the World
Country
 Unemployment rate(%)
Afghanistan 35% (2008 est.)
40% (2005 est.)
Albania 12.8% (2009 est.)
12.8% (2008 est.)
note: these are official rates, but actual rates may exceed 30% due to preponderance of near-subsistence farming
Algeria 10.2% (2009 est.)
11.3% (2008 est.)
American Samoa 29.8% (2005)
Andorra 7% (2008)
0% (2007)
Angola NA
Anguilla 8% (2002)
Antigua and Barbuda 11% (2001 est.)
Argentina 8.7% (2009 est.)
7.9% (2008 est.)
note: data are based on private estimates. Official estimates put unemployment at 8.4% in 2009, and 7.3% in 2008, but the official figures lack credibility
Armenia 7.1% (2007 est.)
Aruba 6.9% (2005 est.)
Australia 5.6% (2009 est.)
4.3% (2008 est.)
Austria 4.8% (2009 est.)
3.8% (2008 est.)
Azerbaijan 6% (2009 est.)
7% (2008 est.)
Bahamas, The 7.6% (2006 est.)
Bahrain 15% (2005 est.)
Bangladesh 5.1% (2009 est.)
4% (2008 est.)
note: about 40% of the population is underemployed; many participants in the labor force work only a few hours a week, at low wages
Barbados 10.7% (2003 est.)
Belarus 1% (2009 est.)
1.6% (2005)
note: official registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers
Belgium 7.9% (2009 est.)
7% (2008 est.)
Belize 8.1% (2008)
9.4% (2006)
Benin NA%
Bermuda 2.1% (2004 est.)
Bhutan 4% (2009)
2.5% (2004)
Bolivia 8.5% (2009 est.)
7.5% (2008 est.)
note: data are for urban areas; widespread underemployment
Bosnia and Herzegovina 40% (2009 est.)
29% (2007 est.)
note: official rate; gray economy may reduce actual unemployment to 25-30%
Botswana 7.5% (2007 est.)
Brazil 8.1% (2009 est.)
7.9% (2008 est.)
British Virgin Islands 3.6% (1997)
Brunei 3.7% (2008)
4% (2006)
Bulgaria 9.1% (2009)
6.3% (2008)
Burkina Faso 77% (2004)
Burma 4.9% (2009 est.)
5% (2008 est.)
Burundi NA%
Cambodia 3.5% (2007 est.)
2.5% (2000 est.)
Cameroon 30% (2001 est.)
Canada 8.3% (2009 est.)
6.2% (2008 est.)
Cape Verde 21% (2000 est.)
Cayman Islands 4% (2008)
4.4% (2004)
Central African Republic 8% (2001 est.)
note: 23% unemployment for Bangui
Chad NA% est.)
Chile 9.6% (2009 est.)
7.8% (2008 est.)
China 4.3% (September 2009 est.)
4.2% (December 2008 est.)
note: official data for urban areas only; including migrants may boost total unemployment to 9%; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas
Cocos (Keeling) Islands 60% (2000 est.)
Colombia 12% (2009 est.)
10.6% (2008 est.)
Comoros 20% (1996 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the NA%
Congo, Republic of the NA%
Cook Islands 13.1% (2005)
Costa Rica 7.8% (2009 est.)
4.9% (2008 est.)
Cote d'Ivoire NA
note: unemployment may have climbed to 40-50% as a result of the civil war
Croatia 16.1% (2009 est.)
13.5% (2008 est.)
Cuba 1.7% (2009 est.)
1.6% (2008 est.)
Curacao 10.3% (2008 est.)
Cyprus 5.3% (2009 est.)
3.6% (2008 est.)
Czech Republic 8.1% (2009 est.)
5.4% (2008 est.)
Denmark 4.3% (2009 est.)
3.4% (2008 est.)
Djibouti 59% (2007 est.)
note: data are for urban areas, 83% in rural areas
Dominica 23% (2000 est.)
Dominican Republic 15% (2009 est.)
14.1% (2008 est.)
Ecuador 8.5% (2009 est.)
7.3% (2008 est.)
Egypt 9.4% (2009 est.)
8.7% (2008 est.)
El Salvador 7.2% (2009 est.)
6.9% (2008 est.)
note: data are official rates; but the economy has much underemployment
Equatorial Guinea 30% (1998 est.)
Eritrea NA%
Estonia 13.8% (2009 est.)
5.7% (2008 est.)
Ethiopia NA%
European Union 8.9% (2009 est.)
7% (2008 est.)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) NA%
Faroe Islands 3.9% (2009)
1.2% (2008)
Fiji 7.6% (1999)
Finland 8.5% (2009 est.)
6.4% (2008)
France 9.1% (2009 est.)
7.4% (2008 est.)
French Polynesia 11.7% (2005)
Gabon 21% (2006 est.)
Gambia, The NA%
Gaza Strip 40% (2009 est.)
37% (2008)
Georgia 16.4% (2009 est.)
13.6% (2006 est.)
Germany 7.5% (2009 est.)
7.3% (2008 est.)
note: this is the International Labor Organization's estimated rate for international comparisons; Germany's Federal Employment Office estimated a seasonally adjusted rate of 10.8%
Ghana 11% (2000 est.)
Gibraltar 3% (2005 est.)
Greece 9.5% (2009 est.)
7.7% (2008 est.)
Greenland 6.8% (2007 est.)
7.3% (2006 est.)
Grenada 12.5% (2000)
Guam 11.4% (2002 est.)
Guatemala 3.2% (2005 est.)
Guernsey 0.9% (March 2006 est.)
Guinea NA% est.)
Guinea-Bissau NA% est.)
Guyana 11% (2007)
Haiti NA% est.)
note: widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs
Honduras 3% (2009 est.)
3% (2008 est.)
note: about 36% are unemployed or underemployed
Hong Kong 5.3% (2009 est.)
3.5% (2008 est.)
Hungary 10.8% (2009 est.)
7.8% (2008 est.)
Iceland 8.2% (December 2009 est.)
4.8% (December 2008 est.)
note: this figure climbed to 9.4% as of February 2009
India 10.7% (2009 est.)
10.4% (2008 est.)
Indonesia 7.7% (2009 est.)
8.4% (2008 est.)
Iran 11.8% (2009 est.)
10.3% (2008 est.)
note: data are according to the Iranian Government
Iraq 15.2% (2008 est.)
18% (2006 est.)
note: official data; unofficial estimates as high as 30%
Ireland 11.8% (2009 est.)
6.3% (2008 est.)
Isle of Man 1.5% (December 2006 est.)
Israel 7.6% (2009 est.)
6.1% (2008 est.)
Italy 7.7% (2009 est.)
6.8% (2008 est.)
Jamaica 12.9% (2009 est.)
10.6% (2008 est.)
Japan 5.1% (2009 est.)
4% (2008 est.)
Jersey 2.2% (2006 est.)
Jordan 12.9% (2009 est.)
12.7% (2008 est.)
note: official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30%
Kazakhstan 6.3% (2009 est.)
6.6% (2008 est.)
Kenya 40% (2008 est.)
40% (2001 est.)
Kiribati 2% (1992 est.)
Korea, North NA%
Korea, South 3.7% (2009 est.)
3.2% (2008 est.)
Kosovo 16.6% (2009 est.)
Kuwait 2.2% (2004 est.)
Kyrgyzstan 18% (2004 est.)
Laos 2.5% (2009 est.)
2.4% (2005 est.)
Latvia 17.1% (2009 est.)
7.5% (2008 est.)
Lebanon 9.2% (2007 est.)
Lesotho 45% (2002)
Liberia 85% (2003 est.)
Libya 30% (2004 est.)
Liechtenstein 1.5% (31 December 2007)
1.3% (September 2002)
Lithuania 13.7% (2009 est.)
5.8% (2008 est.)
note: based on survey data, official registered unemployment of 5.7%
Luxembourg 5.9% (2009 est.)
4.4% (2008 est.)
Macau 3.6% (2009)
3% (2008)
Macedonia 32.2% (2009 est.)
33.8% (2008 est.)
Malawi NA%
Malaysia 3.7% (2009 est.)
3.3% (2008 est.)
Maldives 14.4% (2006 est.)
Mali 30% (2004 est.)
Malta 7% (2009 est.)
6.3% (2008)
Marshall Islands 36% (2006 est.)
30.9% (2000 est.)
Mauritania 30% (2008 est.)
20% (2004 est.)
Mauritius 7.3% (2009 est.)
7.2% (2008 est.)
Mayotte 25.4% (2005)
Mexico 5.5% (2009 est.)
4% (2008 est.)
note: underemployment may be as high as 25%
Micronesia, Federated States of 22% (2000 est.)
Moldova 3.1% (2009 est.)
1.4% (2008 est.)
Monaco 0% (2005)
Mongolia 2.8% (2008)
3% (2007)
Montenegro 14.7% (2007 est.)
Montserrat 6% (1998 est.)
Morocco 9.1% (2009 est.)
9.6% (2008 est.)
Mozambique 21% (1997 est.)
Namibia 51.2% (2008 est.)
36.7% (2004 est.)
Nauru 90% (2004 est.)
Nepal 46% (2008 est.)
42% (2004 est.)
Netherlands 4.9% (2009 est.)
3.9% (2008 est.)
Netherlands Antilles 15.5% (2002 est.)
New Caledonia 17.1% (2004)
New Zealand 6.2% (2009 est.)
4.2% (2008 est.)
Nicaragua 8.2% (2009 est.)
6.1% (2008 est.)
note: underemployment was 46.5% in 2008
Niger NA%
Nigeria 4.9% (2007 est.)
Niue 12% (2001)
Northern Mariana Islands 8% (2005 est.)
3.9% (2001)
Norway 3.2% (2009 est.)
2.6% (2008 est.)
Oman 15% (2004 est.)
Pakistan 14% (2009 est.)
12.6% (2008 est.)
note: substantial underemployment exists
Palau 4.2% (2005 est.)
Panama 7% (2009 est.)
5.8% (2008 est.)
Papua New Guinea 1.8% (2004)
Paraguay 7.9% (2009 est.)
5.4% (2008 est.)
Peru 8.1% (2009 est.)
8.1% (2008 est.)
note: data are for metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment
Philippines 7.5% (2009 est.)
7.4% (2008 est.)
Poland 8.9% (January 2010 est.)
6.5% (December 2008 est.)
Portugal 9.5% (2009 est.)
7.6% (2008 est.)
Puerto Rico 12% (2002)
Qatar 0.5% (2009 est.)
0.4% (2008 est.)
Romania 7.8% (2009 est.)
4.4% (2008 est.)
Russia 8.4% (2009 est.)
6.4% (2008)
Rwanda NA%
Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha 14% (1998 est.)
Saint Kitts and Nevis 4.5% (1997)
Saint Lucia 20% (2003 est.)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon 10.3% (1999)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 15% (2001 est.)
Samoa NA%
San Marino 3.1% (2008)
Sao Tome and Principe NA%
Saudi Arabia 11.7% (2009 est.)
12% (2008 est.)
note: data are for Saudi males only (local bank estimates; some estimates range as high as 25%)
Senegal 48% (2007 est.)
Serbia 16.6% (October 2009 est.)
Seychelles 2% (2006 est.)
Sierra Leone NA%
Singapore 3% (2009 est.)
2.2% (2008)
Sint Maarten 10.6% (2008 est.)
Slovakia 11.4% (2009)
7.7% (2008)
Slovenia 9.2% (2009 est.)
6.7% (2008 est.)
Solomon Islands NA%
Somalia NA%
South Africa 24% (2009 est.)
22.9% (2008 est.)
Spain 18% (2009 est.)
11.3% (2008 est.)
Sri Lanka 5.9% (2009 est.)
5.5% (2008 est.)
Sudan 18.7% (2002 est.)
Suriname 9.5% (2004)
Swaziland 40% (2006 est.)
Sweden 8.3% (2009 est.)
6.2% (2007 est.)
Switzerland 4.4% (February 2010 est.)
2.6% (2007 est.)
Syria 8.5% (2009 est.)
10.9% (2008 est.)
Taiwan 5.9% (2009 est.)
4.1% (2008 est.)
Tajikistan 2.2% (2009 est.)
2.3% (2008 est.)
note: official rates; actual unemployment is higher
Tanzania NA%
Thailand 1.5% (2009 est.)
1.4% (2008 est.)
Timor-Leste 20% (2006 est.)
note: data are for rural areas, unemployment rises to more than 40% among urban youth
Togo NA%
Tokelau NA%
Tonga 13% (FY03/04 est.)
Trinidad and Tobago 5.8% (2009 est.)
4.6% (2008 est.)
Tunisia 14.7% (2009 est.)
14.2% (2008 est.)
Turkey 14.1% (2009 est.)
11.2% (2008)
note: underemployment amounted to 4% in 2008
Turkmenistan 60% (2004 est.)
Turks and Caicos Islands 10% (1997 est.)
Tuvalu NA%
Uganda NA%
Ukraine 8.8% (2009 est.)
6.4% (2007 est.)
note: officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers
United Arab Emirates 2.4% (2001)
United Kingdom 7.6% (2009 est.)
5.6% (2008 est.)
United States 9.3% (2009 est.)
5.8% (2008 est.)
Uruguay 7.6% (2009 est.)
7.6% (2008 est.)
Uzbekistan 1.1% (2009 est.)
1% (2008 est.)
note: officially measured by the Ministry of Labor, plus another 20% underemployed
Vanuatu 1.7% (1999)
Venezuela 7.9% (2009 est.)
7.4% (2008 est.)
Vietnam 6.5% (April 2009 est.)
4.7% (2008 est.)
Virgin Islands 6.2% (2004)
Wallis and Futuna 15.2% (2003)
West Bank 19% (2009 est.)
17.7% (2008 est.)
Western Sahara NA%
World 8.7% (2009 est.)
7.2% (2008 est.)
note: 30% (2007 est.) combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment
Yemen 35% (2003 est.)
Zambia 50% (2000 est.)
Zimbabwe 95% (2009 est.)
80% (2005 est.)
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