Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 5.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean, 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 stood at 5.5%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 7.0% on the previous year and down 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 10.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.5%, in 2025.
Latin America & Caribbean ranks 16th 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, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.3% | — |
| 1992 | 6.3% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 6.1% | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 6.7% | +10.0% |
| 1995 | 7.9% | +18.4% |
| 1996 | 8.3% | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 8.1% | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 8.5% | +4.3% |
| 1999 | 9.4% | +11.1% |
| 2000 | 9.4% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 9.0% | -4.2% |
| 2002 | 9.4% | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 9.3% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 8.8% | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 8.2% | -5.9% |
| 2006 | 7.6% | -7.6% |
| 2007 | 7.2% | -5.1% |
| 2008 | 6.8% | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 7.8% | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 7.2% | -7.6% |
| 2011 | 6.7% | -7.0% |
| 2012 | 6.4% | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 6.4% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 6.2% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 6.7% | +8.0% |
| 2016 | 7.7% | +15.9% |
| 2017 | 8.0% | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 7.9% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 8.0% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 10.2% | +27.7% |
| 2021 | 9.1% | -10.5% |
| 2022 | 6.9% | -24.2% |
| 2023 | 6.2% | -10.7% |
| 2024 | 5.9% | -5.2% |
| 2025 | 5.5% | -7.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.5% | 6.1% | 9.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.4% | 6.8% | 9.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.1% | 6.2% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.3% | 5.5% | 10.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
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, total (% of total labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Latin America & Caribbean was 5.5% 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 Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 10.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.5% in 2025.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 16th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. 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, 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.