Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Small states
Small states: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 7.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Small states, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Small states recorded 7.8% for unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in 2025.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Small states peaked at 10.7% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 7.7%, in 2023.
That places Small states 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Small states, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 9.6% | — |
| 1992 | 10.1% | +6.0% |
| 1993 | 10.7% | +5.1% |
| 1994 | 10.6% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 10.5% | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 10.4% | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 10.3% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 10.1% | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 10.4% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 10.4% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 10.2% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 9.8% | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 10.2% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 9.8% | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 9.6% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 8.7% | -8.9% |
| 2007 | 8.2% | -6.1% |
| 2008 | 8.0% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 9.5% | +18.6% |
| 2010 | 9.6% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 9.3% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 9.3% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 9.4% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 9.2% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 8.8% | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 8.7% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 8.3% | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 8.1% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 7.8% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 9.2% | +18.7% |
| 2021 | 8.8% | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 8.2% | -6.9% |
| 2023 | 7.7% | -6.8% |
| 2024 | 7.7% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 7.8% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.3% | 9.6% | 10.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.4% | 8.0% | 10.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.8% | 7.8% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.2% | 7.7% | 9.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Small states
More education data for Small states
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.13 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.48 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2538 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 243,069 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 66.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 24.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Small states?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Small states was 7.8% 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 Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 10.7% in 1993.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.7% in 2023.
- How does Small states rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Small states ranks 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Small states 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.