What it helps answer
Reading the signal
Measures people without work who are available for and seeking work as a share of the labor force, using modeled estimates designed for comparability.
Indicator guide · SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS
Unemployment
by country
Modeled ILO estimate of unemployment. The table keeps each country's reported year visible so stale and current observations are not treated as equivalent.
Before comparing
Important limits
It excludes people outside the labor force and can understate weak job markets with high informality or discouraged workers. Pair it with participation and employment data.
Measurement
% of labor force
World Bank indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values can be revised as national statistical agencies and international datasets update.
Source definition
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.
Original source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: January 17, 2026
60-market reference table
Latest reported values
Sorted by value, not by a common year. Check the year column before drawing a direct comparison.
| Position | Country | Region | Value | Year | Explore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | Sub-Saharan Africa | 32.39% | 2025 | Compare |
| 2 | Algeria | Middle East & North Africa | 11.63% | 2025 | Compare |
| 3 | Spain | Europe | 10.38% | 2025 | Compare |
| 4 | Ukraine | Europe | 9.83% | 2021 | Compare |
| 5 | Finland | Europe | 9.46% | 2025 | Compare |
| 6 | Morocco | Middle East & North Africa | 9.00% | 2025 | Compare |
| 7 | Chile | Latin America | 8.97% | 2025 | Compare |
| 8 | Sweden | Europe | 8.69% | 2025 | Compare |
| 9 | Greece | Europe | 8.54% | 2025 | Compare |
| 10 | Turkiye | Europe & Central Asia | 8.52% | 2025 | Compare |
| 11 | Colombia | Latin America | 8.29% | 2025 | Compare |
| 12 | France | Europe | 7.54% | 2025 | Compare |
| 13 | Uruguay | Latin America | 7.52% | 2025 | Compare |
| 14 | Argentina | Latin America | 7.15% | 2025 | Compare |
| 15 | Canada | North America | 6.91% | 2025 | Compare |
| 16 | Costa Rica | Latin America | 6.84% | 2025 | Compare |
| 17 | Egypt | Middle East & North Africa | 6.78% | 2025 | Compare |
| 18 | Italy | Europe | 6.39% | 2025 | Compare |
| 19 | Portugal | Europe | 6.16% | 2025 | Compare |
| 20 | Romania | Europe | 5.99% | 2025 | Compare |
| 21 | Brazil | Latin America | 5.97% | 2025 | Compare |
| 22 | Belgium | Europe | 5.91% | 2025 | Compare |
| 23 | Austria | Europe | 5.58% | 2025 | Compare |
| 24 | Denmark | Europe | 5.53% | 2025 | Compare |
| 25 | Kenya | Sub-Saharan Africa | 5.45% | 2025 | Compare |
| 26 | Pakistan | South Asia | 5.42% | 2025 | Compare |
| 27 | Peru | Latin America | 5.12% | 2025 | Compare |
| 28 | New Zealand | Oceania | 5.08% | 2025 | Compare |
| 29 | Switzerland | Europe | 4.87% | 2025 | Compare |
| 30 | United Kingdom | Europe | 4.75% | 2025 | Compare |
| 31 | Norway | Europe | 4.64% | 2025 | Compare |
| 32 | Ireland | Europe | 4.63% | 2025 | Compare |
| 33 | China | East Asia | 4.62% | 2025 | Compare |
| 34 | Hungary | Europe | 4.52% | 2025 | Compare |
| 35 | India | South Asia | 4.22% | 2025 | Compare |
| 36 | United States | North America | 4.20% | 2025 | Compare |
| 37 | Australia | Oceania | 4.09% | 2025 | Compare |
| 38 | Netherlands | Europe | 3.87% | 2025 | Compare |
| 39 | Bangladesh | South Asia | 3.78% | 2025 | Compare |
| 40 | Malaysia | Southeast Asia | 3.76% | 2025 | Compare |
| 41 | Germany | Europe | 3.71% | 2025 | Compare |
| 42 | Israel | Middle East | 3.49% | 2025 | Compare |
| 43 | Ethiopia | Sub-Saharan Africa | 3.32% | 2025 | Compare |
| 44 | Ecuador | Latin America | 3.31% | 2025 | Compare |
| 45 | Indonesia | Southeast Asia | 3.24% | 2025 | Compare |
| 46 | Nigeria | Sub-Saharan Africa | 3.06% | 2025 | Compare |
| 47 | Saudi Arabia | Middle East | 3.04% | 2025 | Compare |
| 48 | Ghana | Sub-Saharan Africa | 2.98% | 2025 | Compare |
| 49 | Poland | Europe | 2.98% | 2025 | Compare |
| 50 | Czechia | Europe | 2.83% | 2025 | Compare |
| 51 | Singapore | Southeast Asia | 2.82% | 2025 | Compare |
| 52 | South Korea | East Asia | 2.68% | 2025 | Compare |
| 53 | Mexico | Latin America | 2.67% | 2025 | Compare |
| 54 | Japan | East Asia | 2.45% | 2025 | Compare |
| 55 | Philippines | Southeast Asia | 2.24% | 2025 | Compare |
| 56 | Kuwait | Middle East | 2.18% | 2025 | Compare |
| 57 | United Arab Emirates | Middle East | 2.17% | 2025 | Compare |
| 58 | Vietnam | Southeast Asia | 1.52% | 2025 | Compare |
| 59 | Thailand | Southeast Asia | 0.78% | 2025 | Compare |
| 60 | Qatar | Middle East | 0.13% | 2025 | Compare |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Retrieved 2026-08-26. Open the source indicator.
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