Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) in Liberia
Liberia: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) was 2.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Liberia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Liberia stood at 2.9%.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and up 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Liberia peaked at 4.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1999.
That places Liberia 152nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) in Liberia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.7% | — |
| 1992 | 2.7% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 2.7% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 2.7% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 2.6% | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | -7.4% |
| 1997 | 2.2% | -8.4% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | -6.1% |
| 1999 | 2.0% | -2.7% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | +8.9% |
| 2004 | 2.4% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 2.3% | -5.5% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 2.2% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 2.3% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 2.2% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 2.1% | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 2.6% | +23.0% |
| 2016 | 3.1% | +20.5% |
| 2017 | 3.1% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 4.1% | +33.6% |
| 2021 | 3.8% | -6.3% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | -23.1% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 2.9% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 2.9% | -1.0% |
Liberia compared with similar countries
- Liberia's 2.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.4%, 65% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Liberia's 2.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.4%, 53% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) in Liberia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +33.6% | 3.1% | 4.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.5% | 2.0% | 2.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.6% | 2.1% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 2.9% | 4.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Liberia
More education data for Liberia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 17,857 (2020)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 14,815 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 123,519 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 123,876 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 274,573 (2020)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 569,741 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.417 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.106 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Liberia?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Liberia was 2.9% 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 Liberia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Liberia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1999.
- How does Liberia rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Liberia ranks 152nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Liberia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Liberia 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.