Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate / Countries

Countries by unemployment rate

South Africa had the highest unemployment rate of 186 countries in 2017, at 27.04%. Qatar had the lowest, at 0.14%. The median was 5.58% and the figure for the World was 5.9%. Source: the World Bank.

Full ranking

Other periods

• 2025
• 2024
• 2023
• 2022
• 2021
• 2020
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Unemployment, total, % of total labor force, modeled ILO estimate (SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Unemployment rate: other rankings

• EU countries
• US states
• EU regions (NUTS 2)
• US counties
• Autonomous communities of Spain
• Provinces of Spain
• Regions of Germany (NUTS 2)
• Regions of France (NUTS 2)
• Regions of Italy (NUTS 2)
• Regions of Poland (NUTS 2)
• Regions of Greece (NUTS 2)
• Regions of Netherlands (NUTS 2)

Countries: more rankings

• Crude birth rate
• Crude death rate
• Total fertility rate
• Real GDP growth
• GDP per capita, US dollars
• Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars
• Gini index (World Bank, income or consumption)
• Inflation, annual average
• Internet users
• Land area
• Life expectancy at birth
• Military expenditure
• Central bank policy rate
• Population
• Population aged 65 and over
• Population density