Unemployment by country
Every economy Bullrun holds a reading for: 119 in all, ranked highest first. Sudan is the highest at 61.2% and Thailand the lowest at 1.0%; the median is 5.3%. Each row carries its own period and source, because these providers publish on different calendars - two rows in this table can be more than a year apart.
- Economies covered119
- Highest61.2% Sudan
- Lowest1.0% Thailand
- Median5.3%
Unemployment by country, ranked
| # | Economy | Unemployment rate | Band | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sudan | 61.2% | Severe | 2025 | IMF |
| 2 | South Africa | 32.4% | Severe | 2025 | IMF |
| 3 | West Bank and Gaza | 24.4% | Severe | 2022 | IMF |
| 4 | Nigeria | 22.6% | Severe | 2018 | IMF |
| 5 | Jordan | 21.3% | Severe | 2025 | IMF |
| 6 | Tunisia | 15.2% | Severe | 2025 | IMF |
| 7 | Georgia | 13.9% | High | 2025 | IMF |
| 8 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 13.5% | High | 2017 | IMF |
| 9 | Morocco | 13.0% | High | 2025 | IMF |
| 10 | Armenia | 12.8% | High | 2025 | IMF |
| 11 | Ukraine | 11.6% | High | 2025 | IMF |
| 12 | Lebanon | 11.5% | High | 2023 | IMF |
| 13 | Algeria | 11.4% | High | 2019 | IMF |
| 14 | Bosnia and Herz. | 11.4% | High | 2026-08 | Eurostat |
| 15 | Finland | 11.0% | High | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 16 | Kosovo | 10.8% | High | 2024 | IMF |
| 17 | North Macedonia | 10.7% | High | 2026-09 | Eurostat |
| 18 | Panama | 10.4% | High | 2025 | IMF |
| 19 | Spain | 10.3% | High | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 20 | Chile | 9.6% | High | 2026-08 | OECD |
| 21 | Suriname | 9.5% | High | 2025 | IMF |
| 22 | Bahamas | 9.4% | High | 2025 | IMF |
| 23 | Serbia | 8.7% | Slack | 2025 | IMF |
| 24 | Albania | 8.7% | Slack | 2025 | IMF |
| 25 | Sweden | 8.6% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 26 | Syria | 8.6% | Slack | 2010 | IMF |
| 27 | France | 8.5% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 28 | Cabo Verde | 8.5% | Slack | 2025 | IMF |
| 29 | Colombia | 8.5% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 30 | Turkey | 8.4% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 31 | Estonia | 8.0% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 32 | Greece | 7.6% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 33 | Iran | 7.5% | Slack | 2025 | IMF |
| 34 | Uruguay | 7.5% | Slack | 2025 | IMF |
| 35 | Argentina | 7.4% | Slack | 2025 | IMF |
| 36 | Egypt | 7.3% | Slack | 2025 | IMF |
| 37 | Luxembourg | 7.3% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 38 | Latvia | 7.3% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 39 | Barbados | 7.2% | Slack | 2025 | IMF |
| 40 | Pakistan | 7.1% | Slack | 2025 | IMF |
| 41 | Denmark | 6.8% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 42 | Canada | 6.7% | Slack | 2026-10 | OECD |
| 43 | Costa Rica | 6.6% | Slack | 2026-08 | OECD |
| 44 | Euro Area | 6.5% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 45 | Italy | 6.3% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 46 | Austria | 6.3% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 47 | Romania | 6.3% | Slack | 2026-09 | Eurostat |
| 48 | Lithuania | 6.2% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 49 | Brazil | 6.0% | Slack | 2025 | IMF |
| 50 | Belgium | 6.0% | Slack | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 51 | Peru | 5.9% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 52 | Iceland | 5.9% | Healthy | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 53 | Slovakia | 5.7% | Healthy | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 54 | Mauritius | 5.7% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 55 | Puerto Rico | 5.6% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 56 | Bahrain | 5.6% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 57 | Portugal | 5.6% | Healthy | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 58 | Venezuela | 5.5% | Healthy | 2018 | IMF |
| 59 | New Zealand | 5.3% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 60 | Azerbaijan | 5.3% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 61 | Dominican Rep. | 5.3% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 62 | Mongolia | 5.3% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 63 | China | 5.1% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 64 | Switzerland | 5.1% | Healthy | 2026-06 | Eurostat |
| 65 | Fiji | 5.0% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 66 | Norway | 5.0% | Healthy | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 67 | India | 5.0% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 68 | Honduras | 4.9% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 69 | Indonesia | 4.9% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 70 | Paraguay | 4.8% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 71 | Ireland | 4.8% | Healthy | 2026-10 | Eurostat |
| 72 | Uzbekistan | 4.8% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 73 | Australia | 4.7% | Healthy | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 74 | United Kingdom | 4.7% | Healthy | 2026-07 | OECD |
| 75 | Brunei | 4.7% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 76 | Hungary | 4.6% | Healthy | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 77 | Kazakhstan | 4.6% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 78 | Trinidad and Tobago | 4.5% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 79 | San Marino | 4.5% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 80 | Croatia | 4.3% | Healthy | 2026-09 | Eurostat |
| 81 | Philippines | 4.2% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 82 | El Salvador | 4.2% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 83 | Germany | 4.1% | Healthy | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 84 | United States | 4.1% | Healthy | 2026-10 | OECD |
| 85 | Kyrgyzstan | 4.0% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 86 | Aruba | 4.0% | Healthy | 2025 | IMF |
| 87 | Cyprus | 4.0% | Healthy | 2026-09 | Eurostat |
| 88 | Netherlands | 4.0% | Healthy | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 89 | Sri Lanka | 3.9% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 90 | Moldova | 3.8% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 91 | Slovenia | 3.6% | Tight | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 92 | Hong Kong | 3.6% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 93 | Bhutan | 3.5% | Tight | 2023 | IMF |
| 94 | Malta | 3.4% | Tight | 2026-09 | Eurostat |
| 95 | Bulgaria | 3.4% | Tight | 2026-09 | Eurostat |
| 96 | Jamaica | 3.4% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 97 | Poland | 3.4% | Tight | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 98 | Taiwan | 3.4% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 99 | Bolivia | 3.3% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 100 | Saudi Arabia | 3.2% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 101 | Ecuador | 3.1% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 102 | Israel | 3.0% | Tight | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 103 | Malaysia | 3.0% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 104 | Czechia | 2.8% | Tight | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 105 | Nicaragua | 2.7% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 106 | Mexico | 2.6% | Tight | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 107 | South Korea | 2.6% | Tight | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 108 | Seychelles | 2.6% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 109 | Tajikistan | 2.5% | Tight | 2011 | IMF |
| 110 | Belarus | 2.5% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 111 | Japan | 2.4% | Tight | 2026-09 | OECD |
| 112 | Russia | 2.2% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 113 | Vietnam | 2.2% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 114 | Liechtenstein | 2.0% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 115 | Belize | 2.0% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 116 | Singapore | 2.0% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 117 | Macao | 1.7% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 118 | Andorra | 1.3% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
| 119 | Thailand | 1.0% | Tight | 2025 | IMF |
How the scale reads
| Band | What it means | Economies |
|---|---|---|
| < 4% | Tight | 31 |
| 4 to 6% | Healthy | 38 |
| 6 to 9% | Slack | 28 |
| 9 to 15% | High | 16 |
| 15%+ | Severe | 6 |
These are the same bands that shade the map on the Global Markets dashboard, so a country's colour there and its band here always agree.
What this measures
The harmonised unemployment rate - people without work who are available for it and looking - as a percentage of the labour force, seasonally adjusted, for 119 economies. Monthly OECD and Eurostat observations are preferred by period; the IMF's annual series is the floor for the roughly eighty economies neither publishes monthly, and those rows show a year rather than a month. A rate this measure calls low can still sit beside a very low participation rate, which it does not capture.
Source: OECD and Eurostat monthly harmonised rates, with the IMF's annual series as the floor. Coverage differs from metric to metric because these providers cover different sets of economies, and a gap is left as a gap rather than filled from a proxy - an absent economy is one we hold no reading for, never a zero. See the data license.
Other metrics by country
Global markets dashboard · Every economy scored · Screen stocks by country