Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) in Senegal
Senegal: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) was 2.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Senegal, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Senegal stood at 2.7%.
That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and down 59.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Senegal peaked at 6.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 2000.
Senegal ranks 158th of 187 countries on this measure, 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 Senegal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.9% | — |
| 1992 | 2.9% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 2.9% | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | -3.4% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 2.8% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 2.6% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 2.8% | +5.5% |
| 2003 | 2.8% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 2.8% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 2.7% | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 2.8% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 2.9% | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 3.9% | +36.6% |
| 2013 | 5.0% | +28.6% |
| 2014 | 5.8% | +16.7% |
| 2015 | 6.8% | +15.5% |
| 2016 | 4.5% | -34.1% |
| 2017 | 4.1% | -8.5% |
| 2018 | 3.5% | -15.3% |
| 2019 | 2.9% | -17.1% |
| 2020 | 3.4% | +19.9% |
| 2021 | 3.4% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 2.8% | -17.4% |
| 2023 | 2.8% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 2.8% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 2.7% | -1.9% |
Senegal compared with similar countries
- Senegal's 2.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.1%, 54% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Senegal's 2.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.4%, 50% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) in Senegal 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 | +36.6% | 2.9% | 3.9% |
| 2016 | -34.1% | 6.8% | 4.5% |
| 2013 | +28.6% | 3.9% | 5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.7% | 2.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.6% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.2% | 2.8% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Senegal
More education data for Senegal
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 55,703 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 64,252 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 162,919 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 181,550 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.28 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.35 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4401 % 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 0.127 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Senegal?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Senegal was 2.7% 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 Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 6.8% in 2015.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2000.
- How does Senegal rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Senegal ranks 158th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 59.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Senegal 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.