Unemployment rate (2008) | Unemployment rate (2004) | ||
Afghanistan | 40% (2005 est.) | NA (2003) | |
Albania | 13% official rate, but may exceed 30% due to preponderance of near-subsistence farming (2007 est.) | 15.8% officially; may be as high as 30% (2003 est.) | |
Algeria | 14.1% (2007 est.) | 26.2% (2003 est.) | |
American Samoa | 29.8% (2005) | 6% (2000) | |
Anguilla | 8% (2002) | 6.7% (2001) | |
Argentina | 8.9% (2007 est.) | 17.3% (2003) | |
Armenia | 7.1% (2007 est.) | 20% (2001 est.) | |
Aruba | 6.9% (2005 est.) | 0.6% (2003 est.) | |
Australia | 4.4% (November 2007 est.) | 6% (2003) | |
Austria | 4.3% (2007 est.) | 4.4% (2003 est.) | |
Azerbaijan | 8.5% official rate (2005 est.) | 1.1% (official rate is 1.2%) (2003 est.) | |
Bahamas, The | 7.6% (2006 est.) | 6.9% (2001 est.) | |
Bahrain | 15% (2005 est.) | 15% (1998 est.) | |
Bangladesh | 2.5% (includes underemployment) (2007 est.) | 40% (includes underemployment) (2002 est.) | |
Belarus | 1.6% officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers (2005) | 2.1% officially registered unemployed (December 2000); large number of underemployed workers (2003 est.) | |
Belgium | 7.6% (2007 est.) | 8.1% (2003 est.) | |
Belize | 9.4% (2006) | 9.1% (2002) | |
Benin | NA% | NA | |
Bermuda | 2.1% (2004 est.) | 5% (2002 est.) | |
Bhutan | 2.5% (2004) | NA | |
Bolivia | 8% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2006) | 11.7%
note: widespread underemployment (2003) |
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 45.5% official rate; grey economy may reduce actual unemployment to 25-30% (31 December 2004 est.) | 40% (2002 est.) | |
Botswana | 23.8% (2004) | 40% (official rate is 21%) (2001 est.) | |
Brazil | 9.8% (2007 est.) | 12.3% (2003 est.) | |
British Virgin Islands | 3.6% (1997) | 3% (1995) | |
Brunei | 4% (2006) | 10% (2001 est.) | |
Bulgaria | 8% (2007 est.) | 14.3% (2003) | |
Burkina Faso | 77% | NA | |
Burma | 5.2% (2007 est.) | 4.2% (2003) | |
Burundi | NA% | NA | |
Canada | 5.9% (2007 est.) | 7.8% (2003 est.) | |
Cayman Islands | 4.4% (2004) | 4.1% (1997) | |
Chad | NA% | NA (2000) | |
Chile | 7% (2007 est.) | 8.5% (2003 est.) | |
China | 4% unemployment in urban areas; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas (2007 est.) | 10.1% urban unemployment roughly 10%; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas (2003 est.) | |
Christmas Island | - | NA | |
Colombia | 10.6% (2007 est.) | 14.2% (2003 est.) | |
Congo, Democratic Republic of the | NA% | NA (2003 est.) | |
Congo, Republic of the | NA% | NA (2003) | |
Cook Islands | 13.1% (2005) | 13% (1996) | |
Costa Rica | 5.5% (2007 est.) | 6.7% (2003 est.) | |
Cote d'Ivoire | unemployment may have climbed to 40-50% as a result of the civil war | 13% in urban areas (1998) | |
Croatia | 11.8% (2007 est.) | 19.5% (2003) | |
Cuba | 1.9% (2007 est.) | 2.6% (2003 est.) | |
Cyprus | area under government control: 3.8% (2005 est.)
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 5.6% (2004 est.) (2007 est.) |
Republic of Cyprus: 3.4%; north Cyprus: 5.6% (2003 est.) | |
Czech Republic | 6.6% (2007 est.) | 9.9% (2003) | |
Denmark | 3.5% (2007 est.) | 6.1% (2003) | |
Djibouti | 59% in urban areas, 83% in rural areas (2007 est.) | 50% (2000 est.) | |
Dominican Republic | 15.5% (2007 est.) | 16.5% (2003 est.) | |
East Timor | - | 50% (including underemployment) (1992 est.) | |
Ecuador | 9.8% (2007 est.) | 9.8%; note - underemployment of 47% (2003 est.) | |
Egypt | 10.1% (2007 est.) | 9.9% (2003 est.) | |
El Salvador | 6.6% official rate; but the economy has much underemployment (2007 est.) | 6.5% - but the economy has much underemployment (2003 est.) | |
Eritrea | NA% | NA (2003 est.) | |
Estonia | 5.2% (2007 est.) | 10.1% (2003) | |
Ethiopia | NA% | NA (2002) | |
European Union | 8.5% (2006 est.) | 9.1% (2004 est.) | |
Faroe Islands | 2.1% (2006) | 1% (October 2000) | |
Finland | 6.6% (2007 est.) | 9% (2003 est.) | |
France | 8% (2007 est.) | 9.7% (2003 est.) | |
French Guiana | - | 22% (2001) | |
French Polynesia | 11.7% (2005) | 11.8% (1994) | |
Gabon | 21% (2006 est.) | 21% (1997 est.) | |
Gambia, The | NA% | NA (2002 est.) | |
Gaza Strip | 34.8% (2006) | 50% (includes West Bank) (2003 est.) | |
Georgia | 13.6% (2006 est.) | 17% (2001 est.) | |
Germany | 9.1%
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% (2007 est.) |
10.5% (2003 est.) | |
Ghana | 11% (2000 est.) | 20% (1997 est.) | |
Gibraltar | 3% (2005 est.) | 2% (2001 est.) | |
Greece | 8.4% (2007 est.) | 9.4% (2003 est.) | |
Greenland | 9.3% (2005 est.) | 10% (2000 est.) | |
Guadeloupe | - | 27.8% (1998) | |
Guam | 11.4% (2002 est.) | 15% (2000 est.) | |
Guatemala | 3.2% (2005 est.) | 7.5% (2003 est.) | |
Guernsey | 0.9% (March 2006 est.) | 0.5% (1999 est.) | |
Guinea | NA% | NA (2002 est.) | |
Guinea-Bissau | NA% | NA (1998) | |
Honduras | 27.8% (2007 est.) | 27.5% (2003 est.) | |
Hong Kong | 4.2% (2007 est.) | 7.9% (2003) | |
Hungary | 7.1% (2007 est.) | 5.9% (2003 est.) | |
Iceland | 1% (2007 est.) | 3.4% (2003 est.) | |
India | 7.2% (2007 est.) | 9.5% (2003) | |
Indonesia | 9.7% (2007 est.) | 8.7% (2003 est.) | |
Iran | 11% according to the Iranian government (June 2007) | 15.7% (2002 est.) | |
Iraq | 18% to 30% (2006 est.) | NA (2003 est.) | |
Ireland | 5% (2007 est.) | 4.7% (2003 est.) | |
Isle of Man | 1.5% (December 2006 est.) | 0.7% (March 2003) | |
Israel | 7.6% (2007 est.) | 10.7% (2003 est.) | |
Italy | 6.7% (2007 est.) | 8.6% (2003 est.) | |
Jamaica | 10.2% (2007 est.) | 15.9% (2003 est.) | |
Japan | 4% (2007 est.) | 5.3% (2003) | |
Jersey | 2.2% (2006 est.) | 0.7% (1998 est.) | |
Jordan | 13.5% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30% (2007 est.) | 16% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (2001 est.) | |
Kazakhstan | 7.1% (2007 est.) | 8.8% (2003 est.) | |
Kiribati | 2% official rate; underemployment 70% (1992 est.) | 2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.) | |
Korea, North | NA% | NA (2003) | |
Korea, South | 3.2% (2007 est.) | 3.4% (2003 est.) | |
Kosovo | 50% (2007 est.) | - | |
Kuwait | 2.2% (2004 est.) | 2.1% (2003 est.) | |
Kyrgyzstan | 18% (2004 est.) | 7.2% (1999 est.) | |
Laos | 2.4% (2005 est.) | 5.7% (1997 est.) | |
Latvia | 5.9% (2007 est.) | 8.6% (2003 est.) | |
Lebanon | 20% (2006 est.) | 18% (1997 est.) | |
Libya | 30% (2004 est.) | 30% (2001) | |
Lithuania | 3.2%
note: based on survey data, official registered unemployment of 5.7% (2007 est.) |
10.3% (2003 est.) | |
Luxembourg | 4.4% (2007 est.) | 3.6% (2003 est.) | |
Macau | 3.1% (2006) | 6.3% (2003) | |
Macedonia | 35% (2007 est.) | 36.7% (2003 est.) | |
Madagascar | - | 5.9% (1998) | |
Malawi | NA% | NA (2003 est.) | |
Malaysia | 3.1% (2007 est.) | 3.6% (2003 est.) | |
Mali | 14.6% (2001 est.) | 14.6% urban areas; 5.3% rural areas (2001 est.) | |
Malta | 6.8% (2005 est.) | 7% (2003 est.) | |
Marshall Islands | 30.9% (2000 est.) | 30.9% (1999 est.) | |
Martinique | - | 27.2% (1998) | |
Mauritania | 20% (2004 est.) | 21% (1999 est.) | |
Mauritius | 9.2% (2007 est.) | 9.8% (2003 est.) | |
Mayotte | 25.4% (2005) | 38% (1999) | |
Mexico | 3.7% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2007 est.) | 3.3% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2003) | |
Micronesia, Federated States of | 22% (2000 est.) | 16% (1999 est.) | |
Moldova | 2.1%; note - roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are employed abroad (2007 est.) | 8% (roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are employed abroad) (2002 est.) | |
Monaco | 0% (2005) | 3.1% (1998) | |
Mongolia | 3.2% (2006) | 4.6% (2001) | |
Montenegro | 14.7% (2007 est.) | - | |
Morocco | 15% (2007 est.) | 19% (2003 est.) | |
Namibia | 5.3% (2006 est.) | 35% (1998) | |
Nauru | 90% (2004 est.) | 0% (2002 est.) | |
Nepal | 42% (2004 est.) | 47% (2001 est.) | |
Netherlands | 4.5% (2007 est.) | 5.3% (2003 est.) | |
Netherlands Antilles | 17% (2002 est.) | 15.6% (2002 est.) | |
New Caledonia | 17.1% (2004) | 19% (1996) | |
New Zealand | 3.5% (2007 est.) | 4.7% (2003 est.) | |
Nicaragua | 5.6% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2007 est.) | 22% plus considerable underemployment (2003 est.) | |
Niger | NA% | NA (2002 est.) | |
Nigeria | 5.8% (2006 est.) | NA (2003 est.) | |
Niue | 12% (2001) | NA (March 1999) | |
Norfolk Island | - | NA | |
Northern Mariana Islands | 3.9% (2001) | NA | |
Norway | 2.4% (2007 est.) | 4.7% (2003 est.) | |
Oman | 15% (2004 est.) | NA | |
Pakistan | 7.5% plus substantial underemployment (2007 est.) | 7.7% plus substantial underemployment (2003 est.) | |
Palau | 4.2% (2005 est.) | 2.3% (2000 est.) | |
Panama | 7.2% (2007 est.) | 13.8% (2003 est.) | |
Papua New Guinea | 1.9% up to 80% in urban areas (2004) | NA | |
Paraguay | 11.4% (2007 est.) | 18.5% (2003 est.) | |
Peru | 7.4% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2007 est.) | 9.7%; widespread underemployment (2003 est.) | |
Philippines | 7.3% (2007 est.) | 11.4% (2003) | |
Pitcairn Islands | - | NA | |
Poland | 12.8% (2007 est.) | 20% (2003) | |
Portugal | 8% (2007 est.) | 6.4% (2003 est.) | |
Qatar | 0.7% (2007 est.) | 2.7% (2001) | |
Reunion | - | 36% (1999 est.) | |
Romania | 4.5% (2007 est.) | 7.2% (2003) | |
Russia | 5.9% (November 2007 est.) | 8.5% plus considerable underemployment (2003 est.) | |
Rwanda | NA% | NA | |
Saint Lucia | 20% (2003 est.) | 16.5% (1997 est.) | |
Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 10.3% (1999) | 9.8% (1997) | |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 15% (2001 est.) | 22% (1997 est.) | |
Samoa | NA% | NA%; note - substantial underemployment | |
San Marino | 3.8% (2004) | 2.6% (2001) | |
Sao Tome and Principe | NA% | NA | |
Saudi Arabia | 13% among Saudi males only (local bank estimate; some estimates range as high as 25%) (2004 est.) | 25% (2003) | |
Senegal | 48%; note - urban youth 45% (2001 est.) | 48% (urban youth 40%) (2001 est.) | |
Serbia | 18.8% (2007 est.) | - | |
Serbia and Montenegro | - | 34.5% (2003 est.) | |
Seychelles | NA% | NA | |
Sierra Leone | NA% | NA | |
Singapore | 1.7% (2007 est.) | 4.8% (2003 est.) | |
Slovakia | 8.6% (2007 est.) | 15.2% (2003 est.) | |
Slovenia | 4.6% (2007 est.) | 11.2% (2003 est.) | |
Solomon Islands | NA% | NA | |
Somalia | NA% | NA | |
South Africa | 24.2% (2007 est.) | 31% (includes workers no longer looking for employment) (2003 est.) | |
Spain | 7.6% (2007 est.) | 11.3% (2003 est.) | |
Sri Lanka | 6.3% (2007 est.) | 8.4% (2003) | |
Suriname | 9.5% (2004) | 17% (2000) | |
Swaziland | 40% (2006 est.) | 34% (2000 est.) | |
Sweden | 4.5% (2007 est.) | 4.9% (2003 est.) | |
Switzerland | 3.1% (2007 est.) | 3.7% (2003 est.) | |
Syria | 10% (2007 est.) | 20% (2002 est.) | |
Taiwan | 3.9% (2007) | 5% (2003 est.) | |
Tajikistan | 12% (2004 est.) | 40% (2002 est.) | |
Tanzania | NA% | NA | |
Thailand | 1.7% (2007 est.) | 2.2% (2003 est.) | |
Timor-Leste | 50% estimated; note - unemployment in urban areas reached 20%; data do not include underemployed (2001 est.) | - | |
Togo | NA% | NA (2003 est.) | |
Tokelau | NA% | NA | |
Tonga | 13% (FY03/04 est.) | 13.3% (1996 est.) | |
Trinidad and Tobago | 6% (2007 est.) | 10.4% (2003) | |
Tunisia | 13.9% (2007 est.) | 14.3% (2003 est.) | |
Turkey | 9.7% plus underemployment of 4% (2007 est.) | 10.5% (plus underemployment of 6.1%) (2003 est.) | |
Turkmenistan | 60% (2004 est.) | NA | |
Tuvalu | NA% | NA | |
Uganda | NA% | NA (2002 est.) | |
Ukraine | 2.5% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers; the International Labor Organization calculates that Ukraine's real unemployment level is nearly 7% (2007 est.) | 3.7% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers (2003) | |
United Kingdom | 5.4% (2007 est.) | 5% (2003 est.) | |
United States | 4.6% (2007 est.) | 6% (2003) | |
Uruguay | 9.2% (2007 est.) | 16% (2003) | |
Uzbekistan | 0.8% officially by the Ministry of Labor, plus another 20% underemployed (2007 est.) | 0.5% plus another 20% underemployed (2003) | |
Vanuatu | 1.7% (1999) | NA | |
Venezuela | 9.1% (2007 est.) | 18% (2003 est.) | |
Vietnam | 5.1% (2007 est.) | 6.1% (2003 est.) | |
Virgin Islands | 6.2% (2004) | 9.3% (2003 est.) | |
Wallis and Futuna | 15.2% (2003) | NA | |
West Bank | 18.6% (2006) | 50% (includes Gaza Strip) (2002 est.) | |
Western Sahara | NA% | NA | |
World | 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment (2007 est.) | 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment | |
Zimbabwe | 80% (2005 est.) | 70% (2002 est.) |