Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income): Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 5.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) stood at 5.3%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 7.7% on the previous year and down 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) peaked at 10.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 2025.
Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 18th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.2% | — |
| 1992 | 6.2% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 6.0% | -4.0% |
| 1994 | 6.6% | +10.4% |
| 1995 | 7.9% | +20.4% |
| 1996 | 8.2% | +3.9% |
| 1997 | 8.1% | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 8.5% | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 9.4% | +10.5% |
| 2000 | 9.4% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 9.0% | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 9.3% | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 9.2% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 8.7% | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 8.2% | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 7.6% | -7.7% |
| 2007 | 7.2% | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 6.8% | -6.0% |
| 2009 | 7.7% | +13.7% |
| 2010 | 7.1% | -7.1% |
| 2011 | 6.6% | -7.0% |
| 2012 | 6.4% | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 6.3% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 6.1% | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 6.7% | +8.8% |
| 2016 | 7.8% | +16.8% |
| 2017 | 8.1% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 7.9% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 8.0% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 10.1% | +26.4% |
| 2021 | 9.1% | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 6.8% | -24.7% |
| 2023 | 6.1% | -11.3% |
| 2024 | 5.7% | -5.6% |
| 2025 | 5.3% | -7.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.5% | 6.0% | 9.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.3% | 6.8% | 9.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.1% | 6.1% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.2% | 5.3% | 10.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- 15 Iraq 15.5% compare
- 16 Tunisia 15.1% compare
- 17 Haiti 14.9% compare
- 18 Angola 14.1% compare
- 19 Montenegro 13.6% compare
- 20 Syrian Arab Republic 13.6% compare
- 21 Afghanistan 13.4% compare
More education data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)
- Population ages 15-64 67.7% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0886 units per person (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.215 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 55.17 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2.79 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 57.82 million (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 22.4% (2025)
All data for Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) was 5.3% 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 Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 10.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.3% in 2025.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) ranks 18th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 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.
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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.