This is a list of countries by unemployment rate. Methods of calculation and presentation of unemployment rate vary from country to country. Some countries count insured unemployed only, some count those in receipt of welfare benefit only, some count the disabled and other permanently unemployable people, some countries count those who choose (and are financially able) not to work, supported by their spouses and caring for a family, some count students at college and so on. There may also be differences in the minimum requirements and some consider people employed even if only marginally associated with employment market (for example, working only one hour per week). [2]
There can be differences in the age limit. For example, Eurostat uses 15 to 74 years old when calculating unemployment rate, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses anyone 16 years of age or older (in both cases, people who are under education, retired, on maternity/paternity leave, prevented from working due to health, or do not work but have been inactive in seeking employment in the last four weeks are excluded from the workforce, and therefore not counted as unemployed). [3] [4] Unemployment rates are often seasonally adjusted to avoid variations that depend on time of year. [3] [4] The employment-to-population ratio or employment rate is distinct from the unemployment rate.
For purposes of comparison, harmonized values are published by International Labour Organization (ILO) and by OECD. The ILO harmonized unemployment rate refers to those who are currently not working but are willing and able to work for pay, currently available to work, and have actively searched for work. The OECD harmonized unemployment rate gives the number of unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force. Most unemployment rates given in the table below are derived from national statistics and therefore not directly comparable.
* indicates "Unemployment in COUNTRY or TERRITORY" or "Economy of COUNTRY or TERRITORY" links.
Country | 15-24 year-olds | 25-70 year-olds | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Australia * | 9.6 | 2.7 | 3.9 |
Austria * | 10.5 | 4.4 | 5.1 |
Belgium * | 17.5 | 4.3 | 5.6 |
Canada * | 11.6 | 4.8 | 5.8 |
Chile * | 21.6 | 7.8 | 8.8 |
Colombia * | 21.6 | 8.4 | 10.2 |
Costa Rica * | 22.4 | 5.6 | 7.7 |
Czech Republic * | 7.1 | 2.6 | 2.9 |
Denmark * | 14.0 | 3.9 | 5.4 |
Estonia * | 20.7 | 5.1 | 6.3 |
European Union (27 countries, 2020) | 14.9 | 5.2 | 6.0 |
Finland * | 18.9 | 6.0 | 7.5 |
France * | 17.7 | 6.0 | 7.3 |
G7 | 9.6 | 3.5 | 4.2 |
Germany * | 5.6 | 2.8 | 3.1 |
Greece * | 23.7 | 8.7 | 9.6 |
Hungary * | 13.5 | 3.4 | 4.1 |
Iceland * | 9.1 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
Ireland * | 12.5 | 3.6 | 4.8 |
Israel * | 6.5 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
Italy * | 24.7 | 6.7 | 7.8 |
Japan * | 3.8 | 2.4 | 2.5 |
South Korea * | 6.4 | 2.6 | 2.8 |
Latvia * | 13.9 | 5.9 | 6.5 |
Lithuania * | 13.3 | 5.9 | 6.5 |
Luxembourg * | 19.3 | 4.4 | 5.5 |
Mexico * | 5.4 | 2.1 | 2.7 |
Netherlands * | 8.4 | 2.5 | 3.6 |
Norway * | 11.1 | 2.4 | 3.6 |
OECD - Total | 10.7 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
Poland * | 10.5 | 2.3 | 2.8 |
Portugal * | 20.8 | 5.6 | 6.7 |
Slovakia * | 20.8 | 5.0 | 5.8 |
Slovenia * | 11.8 | 3.4 | 4.1 |
Spain * | 28.0 | 10.7 | 12.0 |
Sweden * | 21.7 | 6.1 | 7.9 |
Turkey * | 16.3 | 7.1 | 8.5 |
United Kingdom * | 12.7 | 3.1 | 4.3 |
United States * | 8.1 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
* indicates "Economy of COUNTRY or TERRITORY" links.
Denmark is a modern high-income and highly developed mixed economy, dominated by the service sector with 80% of all jobs; about 11% of employees work in manufacturing and 2% in agriculture. The nominal Gross National Income per capita was the ninth-highest in the world at $68,827 in 2023.
The economy of Malta is a highly industrialised service-based economy. It is classified as an advanced economy by the International Monetary Fund and is considered a high-income country by the World Bank and an innovation-driven economy by the World Economic Forum. It is a member of the European Union and of the eurozone, having formally adopted the euro on 1 January 2008.
The economy of Poland is an emerging and developing, high-income, industrialized, mixed economy that serves as the sixth-largest in the European Union by nominal GDP and fifth-largest by GDP (PPP). Poland boasts the extensive public services characteristic of most developed economies and is one of few countries in Europe to provide no tuition fees for undergraduate and postgraduate education and with universal public healthcare that is free at a point of use. Since 1988, Poland has pursued a policy of economic liberalisation but retained an advanced public welfare system. It ranks 20th worldwide in terms of GDP (PPP), 21st in terms of GDP (nominal), and 21st in the 2023 Economic Complexity Index. Among OECD nations, Poland has a highly efficient and strong social security system; social expenditure stood at roughly 22.7% of GDP.
The economy of Slovakia is based upon Slovakia becoming an EU member state in 2004, and adopting the euro at the beginning of 2009. Its capital, Bratislava, is the largest financial centre in Slovakia. As of Q1 2018, the unemployment rate was 5.72%.
Unemployment, according to the OECD, is the proportion of people above a specified age not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the reference period.
The economy of the Netherlands is a highly developed market economy focused on trade and logistics, manufacturing, services, innovation and technology and sustainable and renewable energy. It is the world's 18th largest economy by nominal GDP and the 28th largest by purchasing power parity (PPP) and is the fifth largest economy in European Union by nominal GDP. It has the world's 11th highest per capita GDP (nominal) and the 13th highest per capita GDP (PPP) as of 2023 making it one of the highest earning nations in the world. Many of the world's largest tech companies are based in its capital Amsterdam or have established their European headquarters in the city, such as IBM, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, Cisco, Uber, Netflix and Tesla. Its second largest city Rotterdam is a major trade, logistics and economic center of the world and is Europe's largest seaport. Netherlands is ranked fifth on global innovation index and fourth on the Global Competitiveness Report. Among OECD nations, Netherlands has a highly efficient and strong social security system; social expenditure stood at roughly 25.3% of GDP.
The economy of Belgium is a highly developed, high-income, mixed economy.
In economics, a discouraged worker is a person of legal employment age who is not actively seeking employment or who has not found employment after long-term unemployment, but who would prefer to be working. This is usually because an individual has given up looking, hence the term "discouraged".
The economies of Canada and the United States are similar because both are developed countries. While both countries feature in the top ten economies in the world in 2022, the U.S. is the largest economy in the world, with US$24.8 trillion, with Canada ranking ninth at US$2.2 trillion.
Employment-to-population ratio, also called the employment rate, is a statistical ratio that measures the proportion of a country's working age population that is employed. This includes people that have stopped looking for work. The International Labour Organization states that a person is considered employed if they have worked at least 1 hour in "gainful" employment in the most recent week.
The economy of Sweden is a highly developed export-oriented economy, aided by timber, hydropower, and iron ore. These constitute the resource base of an economy oriented toward foreign trade. The main industries include motor vehicles, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, industrial machines, precision equipment, chemical goods, home goods and appliances, forestry, iron, and steel. Traditionally, Sweden relied on a modern agricultural economy that employed over half the domestic workforce. Today Sweden further develops engineering, mine, steel, and pulp industries, which are competitive internationally, as evidenced by companies such as Ericsson, ASEA/ABB, SKF, Alfa Laval, AGA, and Dyno Nobel.
Labour Force Surveys are statistical surveys conducted in a number of countries designed to capture data about the labour market. All European Union member states are required to conduct a Labour Force Survey annually. Labour Force Surveys are also carried out in some non-EU countries. They are used to calculate the International Labour Organization (ILO)-defined unemployment rate. The ILO agrees the definitions and concepts employed in Labour Force Surveys.
The International Labor Comparisons Program (ILC) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) adjusts economic statistics to a common conceptual framework in order to make data comparable across countries. Its data can be used to evaluate the economic performance of one country relative to that of other countries and to assess international competitiveness.
Unemployment in the United Kingdom is measured by the Office for National Statistics. As of February 2024, the U.K. unemployment rate is 3.8%, down from 3.9% in January.
Youth unemployment is a special case of unemployment with the youth, here being those between 15 and 24 years old.
Unemployment in Poland is one of the lowest in European Union. Poland's unemployment rate remains impressively low, reflecting a robust labor market and steady economic growth. This trend is driven by a combination of strong industrial output, foreign investment, and a dynamic services sector. The country's focus on education and skill development has also helped align the workforce with market demands, reducing joblessness. Additionally, Poland's integration into the European Union has facilitated labor mobility and economic opportunities, further supporting low unemployment rates. As a result, Poland continues to enjoy one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, contributing to its economic stability and social well-being.
Youth unemployment in Italy discusses the statistics, trends, causes and consequences of unemployment among young Italians. Italy displays one of the highest rates of youth unemployment among the 35 member countries of the Organization of Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). The Italian youth unemployment rate started raising dramatically since the 2008 financial crisis reaching its peak of 42.67% in 2014. In 2017, among the EU member states, the youth unemployment rate of Italy (35.1%) was exceeded by only Spain and Greece. The Italian youth unemployment rate was more than the double of the total EU average rate of 16.7% in 2017. While youth unemployment is extremely high compared to EU standards, the Italian total unemployment rate (11.1%) is closer to EU average (7.4%).
The unemployment rate in the Republic of Korea as of December 2021 is 3.7 percent. Since its rapid globalization and democratization, the unemployment rate has been comparatively low compared to most OECD countries. This remains the case as of 2021. Being Asia’s fourth-largest economy, the country's booming exports have helped to maintain the unemployment rate very low by the standards of developed countries. There are several measurement differences between the standard of measurement set by the International Labour Organisation and the official measurement of unemployment in the Republic of Korea, set by Statistics Korea, that contribute to an inflated unemployment rate when compared to other countries that abide more strictly by the standard set by the International Labour Organisation.