Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 4.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Latin America & Caribbean recorded 4.7% for unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 6.6% on the previous year and down 18.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 8.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.7%, in 2025.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 26th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.4% | — |
| 1992 | 5.4% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 5.2% | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 5.7% | +8.5% |
| 1995 | 6.7% | +18.2% |
| 1996 | 6.9% | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 6.6% | -4.7% |
| 1998 | 7.0% | +5.8% |
| 1999 | 7.9% | +13.2% |
| 2000 | 7.9% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 7.7% | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 8.0% | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 7.7% | -4.2% |
| 2004 | 7.0% | -8.2% |
| 2005 | 6.7% | -5.0% |
| 2006 | 6.2% | -8.0% |
| 2007 | 5.8% | -6.1% |
| 2008 | 5.5% | -4.8% |
| 2009 | 6.5% | +17.4% |
| 2010 | 6.0% | -7.4% |
| 2011 | 5.5% | -7.4% |
| 2012 | 5.4% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 5.4% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 5.4% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 5.8% | +7.6% |
| 2016 | 6.7% | +16.9% |
| 2017 | 6.9% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 6.8% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 6.8% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 8.9% | +30.9% |
| 2021 | 7.7% | -14.4% |
| 2022 | 5.8% | -24.2% |
| 2023 | 5.3% | -8.8% |
| 2024 | 5.0% | -5.4% |
| 2025 | 4.7% | -6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.3% | 5.2% | 7.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.9% | 5.5% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.1% | 5.4% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.2% | 4.7% | 8.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 23 Haiti 12.3% compare
- 24 Armenia 12.1% compare
- 25 South Sudan 11.2% compare
- 26 French Polynesia 11.0% compare
- 27 Syrian Arab Republic 10.9% compare
- 28 Guyana 10.8% compare
- 29 Albania 10.7% compare
More education data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.34 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 63.30 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 61.44 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1923 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0928 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 22.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean was 4.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 8.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.7% in 2025.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 26th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.