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Home  »  The World Factbook, 2008  »  Unemployment rate

The World Factbook. 2008.

Unemployment rate

CountryUnemployment rate
Afghanistan40% (2005 est.)
Albania13% official rate, but may exceed 30% due to preponderance of near-subsistence farming (2007 est.)
Algeria14.1% (2007 est.)
American Samoa29.8% (2005)
Andorra0% (1996 est.)
Angolaextensive unemployment and underemployment affecting more than half the population (2001 est.)
Anguilla8% (2002)
Antigua and Barbuda11% (2001 est.)
Argentina8.9% (2007 est.)
Armenia7.1% (2007 est.)
Aruba6.9% (2005 est.)
Australia4.4% (November 2007 est.)
Austria4.3% (2007 est.)
Azerbaijan8.5% official rate (2005 est.)
Bahamas, The7.6% (2006 est.)
Bahrain15% (2005 est.)
Bangladesh2.5% (includes underemployment) (2007 est.)
Barbados10.7% (2003 est.)
Belarus1.6% officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers (2005)
Belgium7.6% (2007 est.)
Belize9.4% (2006)
BeninNA%
Bermuda2.1% (2004 est.)
Bhutan2.5% (2004)
Bolivia8% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2006)
Bosnia and Herzegovina45.5% official rate; grey economy may reduce actual unemployment to 25-30% (31 December 2004 est.)
Botswana23.8% (2004)
Brazil9.8% (2007 est.)
British Virgin Islands3.6% (1997)
Brunei4% (2006)
Bulgaria8% (2007 est.)
Burkina Faso77%
Burma5.2% (2007 est.)
BurundiNA%
Cambodia2.5% (2000 est.)
Cameroon30% (2001 est.)
Canada5.9% (2007 est.)
Cape Verde21% (2000 est.)
Cayman Islands4.4% (2004)
Central African Republic8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.)
ChadNA%
Chile7% (2007 est.)
China4% unemployment in urban areas; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas (2007 est.)
Cocos (Keeling) Islands60% (2000 est.)
Colombia10.6% (2007 est.)
Comoros20% (1996 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of theNA%
Congo, Republic of theNA%
Cook Islands13.1% (2005)
Costa Rica5.5% (2007 est.)
Cote d’Ivoireunemployment may have climbed to 40-50% as a result of the civil war
Croatia11.8% (2007 est.)
Cuba1.9% (2007 est.)
Cyprusarea under government control: 3.8% (2005 est.)
area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 5.6% (2004 est.) (2007 est.)
Czech Republic6.6% (2007 est.)
Denmark3.5% (2007 est.)
Djibouti59% in urban areas, 83% in rural areas (2007 est.)
Dominica23% (2000 est.)
Dominican Republic15.5% (2007 est.)
Ecuador9.8% (2007 est.)
Egypt10.1% (2007 est.)
El Salvador6.6% official rate; but the economy has much underemployment (2007 est.)
Equatorial Guinea30% (1998 est.)
EritreaNA%
Estonia5.2% (2007 est.)
EthiopiaNA%
European Union8.5% (2006 est.)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)full employment; labor shortage (2001)
Faroe Islands2.1% (2006)
Fiji7.6% (1999)
Finland6.6% (2007 est.)
France8% (2007 est.)
French Polynesia11.7% (2005)
Gabon21% (2006 est.)
Gambia, TheNA%
Gaza Strip34.8% (2006)
Georgia13.6% (2006 est.)
Germany9.1%
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.)
Ghana11% (2000 est.)
Gibraltar3% (2005 est.)
Greece8.4% (2007 est.)
Greenland9.3% (2005 est.)
Grenada12.5% (2000)
Guam11.4% (2002 est.)
Guatemala3.2% (2005 est.)
Guernsey0.9% (March 2006 est.)
GuineaNA%
Guinea-BissauNA%
Guyana9.1% (understated) (2000)
Haitiwidespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.)
Honduras27.8% (2007 est.)
Hong Kong4.2% (2007 est.)
Hungary7.1% (2007 est.)
Iceland1% (2007 est.)
India7.2% (2007 est.)
Indonesia9.7% (2007 est.)
Iran11% according to the Iranian government (June 2007)
Iraq18% to 30% (2006 est.)
Ireland5% (2007 est.)
Isle of Man1.5% (December 2006 est.)
Israel7.6% (2007 est.)
Italy6.7% (2007 est.)
Jamaica10.2% (2007 est.)
Japan4% (2007 est.)
Jersey2.2% (2006 est.)
Jordan13.5% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30% (2007 est.)
Kazakhstan7.1% (2007 est.)
Kenya40% (2001 est.)
Kiribati2% official rate; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Korea, NorthNA%
Korea, South3.2% (2007 est.)
Kosovo40% (2006 est.)
Kosovo50% (2007 est.)
Kuwait2.2% (2004 est.)
Kyrgyzstan18% (2004 est.)
Laos2.4% (2005 est.)
Latvia5.9% (2007 est.)
Lebanon20% (2006 est.)
Lesotho45% (2002)
Liberia85% (2003 est.)
Libya30% (2004 est.)
Liechtenstein1.3% (September 2002)
Lithuania3.2%
note: based on survey data, official registered unemployment of 5.7% (2007 est.)
Luxembourg4.4% (2007 est.)
Macau3.1% (2006)
Macedonia35% (2007 est.)
MalawiNA%
Malaysia3.1% (2007 est.)
MaldivesNEGL% (2003 est.)
Mali14.6% (2001 est.)
Malta6.8% (2005 est.)
Marshall Islands30.9% (2000 est.)
Mauritania20% (2004 est.)
Mauritius9.2% (2007 est.)
Mayotte25.4% (2005)
Mexico3.7% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2007 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of22% (2000 est.)
Moldova2.1%; note – roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are employed abroad (2007 est.)
Monaco0% (2005)
Mongolia3.2% (2006)
Montenegro14.7% (2007 est.)
Montserrat6% (1998 est.)
Morocco15% (2007 est.)
Mozambique21% (1997 est.)
Namibia5.3% (2006 est.)
Nauru90% (2004 est.)
Nepal42% (2004 est.)
Netherlands4.5% (2007 est.)
Netherlands Antilles17% (2002 est.)
New Caledonia17.1% (2004)
New Zealand3.5% (2007 est.)
Nicaragua5.6% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2007 est.)
NigerNA%
Nigeria5.8% (2006 est.)
Niue12% (2001)
Northern Mariana Islands3.9% (2001)
Norway2.4% (2007 est.)
Oman15% (2004 est.)
Pakistan7.5% plus substantial underemployment (2007 est.)
Palau4.2% (2005 est.)
Panama7.2% (2007 est.)
Papua New Guinea1.9% up to 80% in urban areas (2004)
Paraguay11.4% (2007 est.)
Peru7.4% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2007 est.)
Philippines7.3% (2007 est.)
Poland12.8% (2007 est.)
Portugal8% (2007 est.)
Puerto Rico12% (2002)
Qatar0.7% (2007 est.)
Romania4.5% (2007 est.)
Russia5.9% (November 2007 est.)
RwandaNA%
Saint Helena14% (1998 est.)
Saint Kitts and Nevis4.5% (1997)
Saint Lucia20% (2003 est.)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon10.3% (1999)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines15% (2001 est.)
SamoaNA%
San Marino3.8% (2004)
Sao Tome and PrincipeNA%
Saudi Arabia13% among Saudi males only (local bank estimate; some estimates range as high as 25%) (2004 est.)
Senegal48%; note – urban youth 45% (2001 est.)
Serbia18.8% (2007 est.)
SeychellesNA%
Sierra LeoneNA%
Singapore1.7% (2007 est.)
Slovakia8.6% (2007 est.)
Slovenia4.6% (2007 est.)
Solomon IslandsNA%
SomaliaNA%
South Africa24.2% (2007 est.)
Spain7.6% (2007 est.)
Sri Lanka6.3% (2007 est.)
Sudan18.7% (2002 est.)
Suriname9.5% (2004)
Swaziland40% (2006 est.)
Sweden4.5% (2007 est.)
Switzerland3.1% (2007 est.)
Syria10% (2007 est.)
Taiwan3.9% (2007)
Tajikistan12% (2004 est.)
TanzaniaNA%
Thailand1.7% (2007 est.)
Timor-Leste50% estimated; note – unemployment in urban areas reached 20%; data do not include underemployed (2001 est.)
TogoNA%
TokelauNA%
Tonga13% (FY03/04 est.)
Trinidad and Tobago6% (2007 est.)
Tunisia13.9% (2007 est.)
Turkey9.7% plus underemployment of 4% (2007 est.)
Turkmenistan60% (2004 est.)
Turks and Caicos Islands10% (1997 est.)
TuvaluNA%
UgandaNA%
Ukraine2.5% 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.)
United Arab Emirates2.4% (2001)
United Kingdom5.4% (2007 est.)
United States4.6% (2007 est.)
Uruguay9.2% (2007 est.)
Uzbekistan0.8% officially by the Ministry of Labor, plus another 20% underemployed (2007 est.)
Vanuatu1.7% (1999)
Venezuela9.1% (2007 est.)
Vietnam5.1% (2007 est.)
Virgin Islands6.2% (2004)
Wallis and Futuna15.2% (2003)
West Bank18.6% (2006)
Western SaharaNA%
World30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment (2007 est.)
Yemen35% (2003 est.)
Zambia50% (2000 est.)
Zimbabwe80% (2005 est.)