Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 7.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern stood at 7.5%.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and up 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 8.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 6.9%, in 2014.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 8th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.1% | — |
| 1992 | 8.2% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 8.2% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 8.0% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 7.8% | -3.1% |
| 1996 | 7.7% | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 7.6% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 7.7% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 7.7% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 7.7% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 7.6% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 7.5% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 7.5% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 7.3% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 7.1% | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 7.0% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 7.0% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 7.0% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 7.0% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 7.3% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 7.3% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 7.1% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 6.9% | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 6.9% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 6.9% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 7.1% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 7.2% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 7.2% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 7.5% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 8.0% | +6.9% |
| 2021 | 8.4% | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 7.9% | -6.4% |
| 2023 | 7.7% | -2.5% |
| 2024 | 7.6% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 7.5% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.9% | 7.6% | 8.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.3% | 7.0% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.1% | 6.9% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.8% | 7.5% | 8.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More education data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Population ages 0-14 40.0% (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 121.03 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1573 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.06 million (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 56.6% (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 46.07 million (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Africa Eastern and Southern was 7.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 8.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.9% in 2014.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 8th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.