Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) in Madagascar
Madagascar: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) was 3.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Madagascar, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Madagascar stood at 3.0%.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 70.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Madagascar peaked at 6.3% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2012.
That places Madagascar 146th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) in Madagascar, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.2% | — |
| 1992 | 6.3% | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 6.3% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 6.1% | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 6.1% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 6.1% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 6.0% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 5.9% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 5.8% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 5.8% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 5.3% | -7.8% |
| 2002 | 5.5% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 5.0% | -9.2% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | -21.1% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | -33.7% |
| 2006 | 2.9% | +12.4% |
| 2007 | 3.2% | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 3.4% | +7.2% |
| 2009 | 3.9% | +13.2% |
| 2010 | 4.3% | +10.2% |
| 2011 | 2.5% | -41.2% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | -76.2% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | +66.1% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +39.2% |
| 2015 | 1.8% | +28.9% |
| 2016 | 1.9% | +9.2% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | +8.9% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | +8.5% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | +7.6% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | +32.8% |
| 2021 | 3.5% | +6.3% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | -8.9% |
| 2023 | 3.0% | -4.5% |
| 2024 | 3.1% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 3.0% | -0.3% |
Madagascar compared with similar countries
- Madagascar's 3.0% is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.4%, 69% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Madagascar's 3.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.4%, 56% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) in Madagascar 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | -76.2% | 2.5% | 0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.1% | 5.8% | 6.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.2% | 2.6% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.0% | 0.6% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 3.0% | 3.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Madagascar
More education data for Madagascar
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 78,148 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1.09 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 507,363 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 544,966 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.62 million (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.29 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 3.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1656 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Madagascar?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Madagascar was 3.0% 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 Madagascar?
- The highest recorded value was 6.3% in 1993.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Madagascar?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2012.
- How does Madagascar rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Madagascar ranks 146th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Madagascar?
- Over the last ten years it is up 70.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Madagascar 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.