In 2023, South Africa had the highest unemployment rate in the world, at 32.1 percent. Of the 10 countries with the highest unemployment rates, six were in Sub-Saharan Africa. What exactly is unemployment? The unemployment rate is the number of people in the workforce currently looking for jobs but not working. This number does not include students and retirees, as they are not looking for work, nor does it include people who have given up on finding a job (known as discouraged workers). Comparing international unemployment rates can be problematic, however, as different countries use different methodologies when classifying unemployment. For example, Niger records the third lowest unemployment rate in the world, despite often being listed as the least developed country worldwide - this is because the majority of the population engage in subsistence farming, with very little opportunity for paid employment. Causes of unemployment in less developed countries A major driver in unemployment in these countries is conflict. In particular, internally displaced persons (IDPs) want to work, but moving to another part of the country disrupts their business network and moves them into a local economy with different labor demand. Countries with low levels of economic development, as roughly indicated by a low GDP per capita, often have fewer labor market opportunities, leading to high unemployment rates.

Unemployment Rate in the United States decreased to 4.10 percent in June from 4.20 percent in May of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In April 2025, the agriculture and related private wage and salary workers industry had the highest unemployment rate in the United States, at eight percent. In comparison, government workers had the lowest unemployment rate, at 1.8 percent. The average for all industries was 3.9 percent. U.S. unemployment There are several factors that impact unemployment, as it fluctuates with the state of the economy. Unfortunately, the forecasted unemployment rate in the United States is expected to increase as we head into the latter half of the decade. Those with a bachelor’s degree or higher saw the lowest unemployment rate from 1992 to 2022 in the United States, which is attributed to the fact that higher levels of education are seen as more desirable in the workforce. Nevada unemployment Nevada is one of the states with the highest unemployment rates in the country and Vermont typically has one of the lowest unemployment rates. These are seasonally adjusted rates, which means that seasonal factors such as holiday periods and weather events that influence employment periods are removed. Nevada's economy consists of industries that are currently suffering high unemployment rates such as tourism. As of May 2023, about 5.4 percent of Nevada's population was unemployed, possibly due to the lingering impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The unemployment rate for people ages 16 to 24 in the United States in 202024 23 was 10 percent. However, this rate was much lower for people aged 45 and over, at 2.9 percent. U.S. unemployment The unemployment rate in the United States varies based on several factors, such as race, gender, and level of education. Black and African-American individuals had the highest unemployment rate in 2021 out of any ethnicity, and people who had less than a high school diploma had the highest unemployment rate by education level. Alaska is consistently the state with the highest unemployment rate, although the El Centro, California metropolitan area was the area with the highest unemployment rate in the country in 2019. Additionally, in August 2022, farming, fishing, and forestry occupations had the highest unemployment rate in the United States Unemployment rate The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is the agency that researches and calculates the unemployment rate in the United States. Unemployment rises during recessions, which causes the cost of social welfare programs to increase. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says unemployed people are those who are jobless, have looked for employment within the last four weeks, and are free to work.

This dataset provides values for UNEMPLOYMENT RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Unemployment Rate in Germany remained unchanged at 6.30 percent in June. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Germany Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The average for 2025 based on 101 countries was 6.64 percent. The highest value was in Sudan: 61.99 percent and the lowest value was in Thailand: 1 percent. The indicator is available from 1980 to 2030. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Level (UNEMPLOY) from Jan 1948 to Jun 2025 about 16 years +, household survey, unemployment, and USA.

The number of unemployed persons in Hong Kong increased to 135.80 Thousand in May of 2025 from 129.40 Thousand in April of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Hong Kong Unemployed Persons - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In February 2025, the unemployment rate for those aged 16 and over in the United States came to 4.5 percent. Service occupations had an unemployment rate of 6.3 percent in that month. The underemployment rate of the country can be accessed here and the monthly unemployment rate here. Unemployment by occupation in the U.S. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics publish data on the unemployment situation within certain occupations in the United States on a monthly basis. According to latest data released from May 2023, transportation and material moving occupations experienced the highest level of unemployment that month, with a rate of around 5.6 percent. Second ranked was farming, fishing, and forestry occupations with a rate of 4.9 percent. Total (not seasonally adjusted) unemployment was reported at 3.6 percent in March 2023. Other data on the U.S. unemployment rate by industry and class of worker shows comparable results. It should be noted that the data were not seasonally adjusted to account for normal seasonal fluctuations in unemployment. The monthly unemployment by occupation data can be compared to the seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate. In March 2023, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, which was an increase from the previous month. The annual unemployment rate in 2022 was 3.6 percent, down from a high of 9.6 in 2010. Unemployment in the United States trended downward after the coronavirus pandemic, and is now experiencing consistently low rates - a sign of economic stability. Individuals who opt to leave the workforce and stop looking for employment are not included among the unemployed. The civilian labor force participation rate in the U.S. rose to 62.2 percent in 2022, down from 67.1 percent in 2000, before the financial crisis.

Unemployment Rate in Spain increased to 11.36 percent in the first quarter of 2025 from 10.61 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Spain Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Unemployment Rate in Brazil decreased to 6.20 percent in May from 6.60 percent in April of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Brazil Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

At most qualification levels, white people aged 16 to 64 were the least likely to be unemployed out of all ethnic groups in 2022.

Unemployment rates represent unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force. The labour force is the total number of people employed and unemployed. Unemployed persons comprise persons aged 15 to 74 who were: a. without work during the reference week, b. currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment before the end of the two weeks following the reference week, c. actively seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in the four weeks period ending with the reference week to seek paid employment or self-employment or who found a job to start later, i.e. within a period of, at most, three months. This table does not only show unemployment rates but also unemployed in 1000 and as % of the total population.

Between 2019 and 2020, the number of unemployed people worldwide increased from 191.93 million to 235.21 million, the biggest annual increase in unemployment in this provided time period. In 2022, the number of people unemployed decreased down to 205.25 million.

Definition: The long-term unemployed are those who have been looking for work for 12 months or more. Extremely long-term unemployed are unemployed people who have been looking for a job for 24 months or more. The long-term unemployment rate reflects the percentage of long-term unemployed aged 15 to under 65 in the labour force (employed and unemployed) of the corresponding age. For the definition of the unemployed according to the ILO concept, see Indicator 11.1. Note: Not all unemployed people provide information on the duration of the job search. Only those unemployed persons who have provided information on the duration of the job search are shown here. Note on the revision of the results for 2011 and 2012: The extrapolation framework for the microcensus has been changed: Up to the 2010 survey year, the extrapolation is based on the updated results of the 1987 census, and from 2011 on the updated results of the 2011 census. With the update for the 2013 survey year, the results for 2011 and 2012 were revised accordingly. Data source: IT.NRW, Microcensus

Regional unemployment rates used by the Employment Insurance program, by effective date, current month.

This table contains monthly, quarterly and yearly figures on the labour participation and unemployment in the Netherlands. The population of 15 to 75 years old (excluding the institutionalized population) is divided into the employed, the unemployed and the people who are not in in the labour force. The different groups are further broken down by sex and age. Next to the original monthly figures on the labour force you can also find monthly figures that are seasonally adjusted.

Data available from: January 2003

Status of the figures: The figures in this table are final.

Changes as of 19 June 2025: The figures for May 2025 have been added

When will new figures be published? New figures on the most recent month are published monthly, in the third week of the month.

United States Unemployment: Two or More Races data was reported at 319.000 Person th in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 331.000 Person th for Jan 2025. United States Unemployment: Two or More Races data is updated monthly, averaging 225.500 Person th from Jan 2003 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 266 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 663.000 Person th in Apr 2020 and a record low of 108.000 Person th in Jun 2007. United States Unemployment: Two or More Races data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G035: Current Population Survey: Unemployment.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate in California (CAUR) from Jan 1976 to May 2025 about CA, unemployment, rate, and USA.