In August 2024, the United States experienced a net gain of 142,000 jobs, leading CEOWORLD magazine to release updated rankings for its comprehensive report on Unemployment Rates Around the World. In a meticulous effort to provide a thorough assessment of global unemployment rates, CEOWORLD magazine undertook a comparative analysis encompassing 212 countries and territories.
Being unemployed means not being able to afford rent, get an education, visit a doctor, or provide for yourself and your family. Unemployment has many negative consequences. Most experts agree that the jobless rate represents the percentage share of the labor force out of work and that high unemployment can threaten growth and social cohesion.
In 2024, Sudan had the world’s highest unemployment rate, 49.54%, while Qatar had the lowest, 0.3%. Seven of the 10 countries with the highest unemployment rates were in Africa. A country or region’s unemployment rate refers to the share of the total workforce that is currently without work but actively searching for employment. It does not include economically inactive persons, such as children and retirees.
Unemployment Rates Around the World, 2024
| Rank | Country | Unemployment Rate (Percent) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sudan | 49.54 |
| 2 | Pakistan | 48.32 |
| 3 | South Africa | 33.5 |
| 4 | Djibouti | 27.93 |
| 5 | Eswatini | 24.39 |
| 6 | Palestine | 24 |
| 7 | Jordan | 22.8 |
| 8 | Gabon | 22.3 |
| 9 | Namibia | 21.7 |
| 10 | Botswana | 20.68 |
| 11 | Montenegro | 19.9 |
| 12 | Somalia | 19.9 |
| 13 | Libya | 19.6 |
| 14 | Kosovo | 19 |
| 15 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 18.8 |
| 16 | American Samoa | 18 |
| 17 | Lesotho | 18 |
| 18 | Nauru | 18 |
| 19 | Grenada | 16.6 |
| 20 | New Caledonia | 16.6 |
| 21 | Rwanda | 16.5 |
| 22 | Guyana | 16.4 |
| 23 | Micronesia | 16.2 |
| 24 | Tunisia | 16.1 |
| 25 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 15.9 |
| 26 | Georgia | 15.7 |
| 27 | Haiti | 15.7 |
| 28 | Ukrain | 14.51 |
| 29 | Lebanon | 14.5 |
| 30 | French Polynesia | 14.4 |
| 31 | Afghanistan | 14.39 |
| 32 | Iraq | 14.2 |
| 33 | North Macedonia | 14.1 |
| 34 | South Sudan | 13.9 |
| 35 | Yemen | 13.6 |
| 36 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 13.3 |
| 37 | Armenia | 13 |
| 38 | Zambia | 13 |
| 39 | Algeria | 12.7 |
| 40 | Spain | 12.29 |
| 41 | Morocco | 12 |
| 42 | Mauritania | 11.5 |
| 43 | Gambia | 11.2 |
| 44 | Albania | 11 |
| 45 | Antigua and Barbuda | 11 |
| 46 | Niue | 10.7 |
| 47 | Syria | 10.6 |
| 48 | Suriname | 10.3 |
| 49 | Colombia | 9.87 |
| 50 | Samoa | 9.8 |
| 51 | Comoros | 9.4 |
| 52 | Serbia | 9.4 |
| 53 | Greece | 9.36 |
| 54 | Equatorial Guinea | 9.2 |
| 55 | Kyrgyzstan | 9.01 |
| 56 | Iran | 8.9 |
| 57 | Bahamas | 8.79 |
| 58 | Chile | 8.71 |
| 59 | Kiribati | 8.6 |
| 60 | Angola | 8.5 |
| 61 | Cape Verde | 8.5 |
| 62 | Turkey | 8.5 |
| 63 | Panama | 8.4 |
| 64 | Sweden | 8.36 |
| 65 | Costa Rica | 8.29 |
| 66 | Barbados | 8.23 |
| 67 | Uruguay | 8.09 |
| 68 | Estonia | 8.06 |
| 69 | Eritrea | 8 |
| 70 | Honduras | 8 |
| 71 | Uzbekistan | 7.85 |
| 72 | Italy | 7.83 |
| 73 | Anguilla | 7.8 |
| 74 | India | 7.8 |
| 75 | Tajikistan | 7.8 |
| 76 | Argentina | 7.7 |
| 77 | Mali | 7.7 |
| 78 | Finland | 7.6 |
| 79 | Brazil | 7.5 |
| 80 | France | 7.36 |
| 81 | Egypt | 7.07 |
| 82 | Bermuda | 7 |
| 83 | Malawi | 7 |
| 84 | Greenland | 6.8 |
| 85 | Guinea-Bissau | 6.8 |
| 86 | Nicaragua | 6.76 |
| 87 | Aruba | 6.73 |
| 88 | Puerto Rico | 6.68 |
| 89 | Central African Republic | 6.6 |
| 90 | Peru | 6.6 |
| 91 | Portugal | 6.48 |
| 92 | Latvia | 6.45 |
| 93 | Venezuela | 6.4 |
| 94 | Canada | 6.32 |
| 95 | Guinea | 6.3 |
| 96 | Lithuania | 6.3 |
| 97 | Mauritius | 6.27 |
| 98 | Maldives | 6.1 |
| 99 | Dominican Republic | 6 |
| 100 | Jamaica | 6 |
| 101 | Paraguay | 6 |
| 102 | Luxembourg | 5.99 |
| 103 | Slovakia | 5.9 |
| 104 | Cyprus | 5.86 |
| 105 | Croatia | 5.77 |
| 106 | Kenya | 5.7 |
| 107 | Congo | 5.6 |
| 108 | Montserrat | 5.6 |
| 109 | Romania | 5.6 |
| 110 | Azerbaijan | 5.52 |
| 111 | Belgium | 5.51 |
| 112 | El Salvador | 5.5 |
| 113 | Mongolia | 5.43 |
| 114 | Austria | 5.4 |
| 115 | DR Congo | 5.4 |
| 116 | Sierra Leone | 5.3 |
| 117 | Bangladesh | 5.2 |
| 118 | Dominica | 5.2 |
| 119 | Indonesia | 5.2 |
| 120 | Zimbabwe | 5.2 |
| 121 | China | 5.1 |
| 122 | Nepal | 5.1 |
| 123 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 5.1 |
| 124 | Turkmenistan | 5.1 |
| 125 | New Zealand | 5.04 |
| 126 | Bolivia | 5 |
| 127 | Fiji | 5 |
| 128 | Brunei | 4.9 |
| 129 | Denmark | 4.89 |
| 130 | Burkina Faso | 4.8 |
| 131 | Saudi Arabia | 4.8 |
| 132 | Trinidad and Tobago | 4.8 |
| 133 | Kazakhstan | 4.78 |
| 134 | Ghana | 4.7 |
| 135 | East Timor | 4.6 |
| 136 | Guam | 4.5 |
| 137 | Philippines | 4.5 |
| 138 | Hungary | 4.4 |
| 139 | Ireland | 4.38 |
| 140 | Bhutan | 4.3 |
| 141 | Bulgaria | 4.3 |
| 142 | Sri Lanka | 4.3 |
| 143 | Australia | 4.21 |
| 144 | Ecuador | 4.2 |
| 145 | United Kingdom | 4.15 |
| 146 | Liberia | 4.1 |
| 147 | Nigeria | 4.1 |
| 148 | United States | 4.1 |
| 149 | Mozambique | 4 |
| 150 | Togo | 4 |
| 151 | Tonga | 4 |
| 152 | San Marino | 3.94 |
| 153 | Cameroon | 3.9 |
| 154 | Netherlands | 3.9 |
| 155 | Iceland | 3.84 |
| 156 | Norway | 3.8 |
| 157 | Slovenia | 3.72 |
| 158 | Ethiopia | 3.7 |
| 159 | Israel | 3.7 |
| 160 | Kuwait | 3.7 |
| 161 | Senegal | 3.7 |
| 162 | Taiwan | 3.67 |
| 163 | Guatemala | 3.6 |
| 164 | Malaysia | 3.52 |
| 165 | Cayman Islands | 3.5 |
| 166 | Ivory Coast | 3.5 |
| 167 | Moldova | 3.5 |
| 168 | Belize | 3.4 |
| 169 | United Arab Emirates | 3.4 |
| 170 | Germany | 3.29 |
| 171 | Russia | 3.12 |
| 172 | Oman | 3.1 |
| 173 | Belarus | 3.04 |
| 174 | Seychelles | 3 |
| 175 | South Korea | 3 |
| 176 | Poland | 2.93 |
| 177 | Uganda | 2.9 |
| 178 | Hong Kong | 2.81 |
| 179 | Cuba | 2.8 |
| 180 | Mexico | 2.8 |
| 181 | Papua New Guinea | 2.8 |
| 182 | North Korea | 2.7 |
| 183 | Madagascar | 2.6 |
| 184 | Tanzania | 2.6 |
| 185 | Czech Republic | 2.56 |
| 186 | Japan | 2.5 |
| 187 | Malta | 2.5 |
| 188 | Switzerland | 2.25 |
| 189 | Myanmar | 2.2 |
| 190 | Vanuatu | 2.2 |
| 191 | Vietnam | 2.06 |
| 192 | Macau | 2 |
| 193 | Monaco | 2 |
| 194 | Saint Helena | 2 |
| 195 | Bahrain | 1.9 |
| 196 | Chad | 1.9 |
| 197 | Isle of Man | 1.9 |
| 198 | Singapore | 1.9 |
| 199 | Burundi | 1.8 |
| 200 | Palau | 1.7 |
| 201 | Benin | 1.6 |
| 202 | Jersey | 1.6 |
| 203 | Andorra | 1.5 |
| 204 | Liechtenstein | 1.5 |
| 205 | Laos | 1.3 |
| 206 | Thailand | 1.1 |
| 207 | Gibraltar | 1 |
| 208 | Guernsey | 1 |
| 209 | Niger | 0.8 |
| 210 | Cambodia | 0.6 |
| 211 | Faroe Islands | 0.5 |
| 212 | Qatar | 0.3 |
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