Unemployment Rate in the United States remained unchanged at 4.20 percent in May. 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.

From the late 19th century until the 1980s, the United States' unemployment rate was generally somewhere between three and ten percent of the total workforce. The periods when it peaked were in times of recession or depression - the Panic of 1893, which lasted until 1897, saw unemployment peak at over 18 percent, whereas the post-WWI recession saw unemployment spike to almost 12 percent in 1921.

However, the longest and most-severe period of mass unemployment in U.S. history came during the Great Depression - unemployment rose from just 3.2 percent in 1929 to one quarter of the total workforce in 1933, and it was not until the Second World War until it fell below five percent once more. Since this time, unemployment has never exceeded 10 percent, although it did come close during the recessions of the 1970s and 1980s.

More recent unemployment statistics for the U.S. can be found here.

In 1990, the unemployment rate of the United States stood at 5.6 percent. Since then there have been many significant fluctuations to this number - the 2008 financial crisis left millions of people without work, as did the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of 2022 and throughout 2023, the unemployment rate came to 3.6 percent, the lowest rate seen for decades. However, 2024 saw an increase up to four percent. For monthly updates on unemployment in the United States visit either the monthly national unemployment rate here, or the monthly state unemployment rate here. Both are seasonally adjusted. UnemploymentUnemployment is defined as a situation when an employed person is laid off, fired or quits his work and is still actively looking for a job. Unemployment can be found even in the healthiest economies, and many economists consider an unemployment rate at or below five percent to mean there is 'full employment' within an economy. If former employed persons go back to school or leave the job to take care of children they are no longer part of the active labor force and therefore not counted among the unemployed. Unemployment can also be the effect of events that are not part of the normal dynamics of an economy. Layoffs can be the result of technological progress, for example when robots replace workers in automobile production. Sometimes unemployment is caused by job outsourcing, due to the fact that employers often search for cheap labor around the globe and not only domestically. In 2022, the tech sector in the U.S. experienced significant lay-offs amid growing economic uncertainty. In the fourth quarter of 2022, more than 70,000 workers were laid off, despite low unemployment nationwide. The unemployment rate in the United States varies from state to state. In 2021, California had the highest number of unemployed persons with 1.38 million out of work.

Historical chart and data for the united states national unemployment rate back to 1948. Compares the level and annual rate of change.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over (LNU04000024) from Jan 1948 to May 2025 about 20 years +, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Historical chart and dataset showing U.S. unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

A series of recessions in the 1970s and 1980s meant that unemployment rates in some Western European countries rose to their highest levels since the Great Depression in the 1930s. While countries such as West Germany closed out the period of prosperity (known as the "Golden Age of Capitalism") with unemployment rates below one percent, figures rose gradually in the 1970s, and then furthermore in the 1980s. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the highest levels of unemployment in the listed countries were observed in Ireland and the United States; although the highest levels of unemployment in the 1980s were observed in Spain, during its transition to democracy. Of the major economic powers listed here, Japan saw the least amount of fluctuation, with a high of just 2.5 percent in the given periods; almost half of the U.S.' lowest unemployment figure in these periods.

Unemployment Rate in the United Kingdom increased to 4.60 percent in April from 4.50 percent in March of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Saudi Arabia Unemployment Rate: Extended History data was reported at 5.700 % in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6.000 % for 2018. Saudi Arabia Unemployment Rate: Extended History data is updated yearly, averaging 5.700 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2019, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.302 % in 1991 and a record low of 4.345 % in 1999. Saudi Arabia Unemployment Rate: Extended History data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by CEIC Data. The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Global Economic Monitor – Table SA.G017: Unemployment Rate. CEIC extends history for annual Unemployment Rate. General Authority for Statistics provides Unemployment Rate. No Labour Force Survey was conducted for 2003-2005 and hence estimates of Unemployment Rate from Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency are used. Unemployment Rate prior to 1999 is sourced from the World Bank.

In September 2022, the unemployment rate in the U.S. was 3.5 percent before heading into the midterm elections. The unemployment rate may reflect the economic situation in the U.S. at any given time and is thought to be an important factor in determining the outcome of elections.

Youth Unemployment Rate in Japan increased to 4.20 percent in February from 3.70 percent in January of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Japan Youth Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The unemployment rate of the United Kingdom was 4.6 percent in April 2025, an increase from the previous month. Before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK had relatively low levels of unemployment, comparable with the mid-1970s. Between January 2000 and the most recent month, unemployment was highest in November 2011 when the unemployment rate hit 8.5 percent. Will unemployment continue to rise in 2025? Although low by historic standards, there has been a noticeable uptick in the UK's unemployment rate, with other labor market indicators also pointing to further loosening. In December 2024, the number of job vacancies in the UK, fell to its lowest level since May 2021, while payrolled employment declined by 47,000 compared with November. Whether this is a continuation of a broader cooling of the labor market since 2022, or a reaction to more recent economic developments, such as upcoming tax rises for employers, remains to be seen. Forecasts made in late 2024 suggest that the unemployment rate will remain relatively stable in 2025, averaging out at 4.1 percent, and falling again to four percent in 2026.
Demographics of the unemployed As of the third quarter of 2024, the unemployment rate for men was slightly higher than that of women, at 4.4 percent, compared to 4.1 percent. During the financial crisis at the end of the 2000s, the unemployment rate for women peaked at a quarterly rate of 7.7 percent, whereas for men, the rate was 9.1 percent. Unemployment is also heavily associated with age, and young people in general are far more vulnerable to unemployment than older age groups. In late 2011, for example, the unemployment rate for those aged between 16 and 24 reached 22.3 percent, compared with 8.2 percent for people aged 25 to 34, while older age groups had even lower peaks during this time.

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

Unemployment Rate in Germany remained unchanged at 6.30 percent in May. 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.

World unemployment rate for 2024 was 4.89%, a 0.02% decline from 2023.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>World unemployment rate for 2023 was <strong>4.92%</strong>, a <strong>0.34% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>World unemployment rate for 2022 was <strong>5.26%</strong>, a <strong>0.8% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>World unemployment rate for 2021 was <strong>6.06%</strong>, a <strong>0.54% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
</ul>Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.

In 2023, it was estimated that over 161 million Americans were in some form of employment, while 3.64 percent of the total workforce was unemployed. This was the lowest unemployment rate since the 1950s, although these figures are expected to rise in 2023 and beyond. 1980s-2010s Since the 1980s, the total United States labor force has generally risen as the population has grown, however, the annual average unemployment rate has fluctuated significantly, usually increasing in times of crisis, before falling more slowly during periods of recovery and economic stability. For example, unemployment peaked at 9.7 percent during the early 1980s recession, which was largely caused by the ripple effects of the Iranian Revolution on global oil prices and inflation. Other notable spikes came during the early 1990s; again, largely due to inflation caused by another oil shock, and during the early 2000s recession. The Great Recession then saw the U.S. unemployment rate soar to 9.6 percent, following the collapse of the U.S. housing market and its impact on the banking sector, and it was not until 2016 that unemployment returned to pre-recession levels. 2020s 2019 had marked a decade-long low in unemployment, before the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic saw the sharpest year-on-year increase in unemployment since the Great Depression, and the total number of workers fell by almost 10 million people. Despite the continuation of the pandemic in the years that followed, alongside the associated supply-chain issues and onset of the inflation crisis, unemployment reached just 3.67 percent in 2022 - current projections are for this figure to rise in 2023 and the years that follow, although these forecasts are subject to change if recent years are anything to go by.

Unemployment Rate in Iceland decreased to 3.10 percent in May from 3.30 percent in April of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Iceland Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Sweden Unemployment Rate: 16 to 64 Years: Male data was reported at 5.700 % in Nov 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5.800 % for Oct 2018. Sweden Unemployment Rate: 16 to 64 Years: Male data is updated monthly, averaging 6.000 % from Jan 1970 (Median) to Nov 2018, with 587 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.300 % in Feb 1994 and a record low of 1.100 % in Sep 1970. Sweden Unemployment Rate: 16 to 64 Years: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Sweden. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.G022: Unemployment Rate: Statistics Sweden.

Unemployment Rate in Canada increased to 7 percent in May from 6.90 percent in April of 2025. This dataset provides - Canada Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar 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.