Social indicators

Introduction | Statistics
Indicators on unemployment
Last update: Dec 2007
Country or area
 
 
Year
Total  
Men
Women
Source
Afghanistan
2005
9
8
10
HS
Albania
2004
14
12
18
HS
Algeria
2005
 b
15
15
18
HS
Anguilla
2002
 a
8
6
10
HS
Argentina
2005
 e
11
9
13
HS
Armenia
1997
 a,d
36
38
34
HS
Aruba
1997
 w
8
7
8
HS
Australia
2005
 a
5
5
5
HS
Austria
2005
5
5
6
MC
Azerbaijan
2005
 z
9
8
10
HS
Bahamas
2005
 a
10
9
11
HS
Bahrain
2001
5
4
10
PC
Bangladesh
2003
4
4
5
HS
Barbados
2004
 a
10
9
11
HS
Belgium
2005
 dd
8
7
9
ELFS
Belize
2005
 a
11
8
17
HS
Bolivia
2002
5
4
7
HS
Botswana
2003
 a
24
21
26
HS
Brazil
2004
 o
9
7
12
HS
British Virgin Islands
1991
4
4
3
PC
Brunei Darussalam
1991
5
4
7
PC
Bulgaria
2005
10
10
10
HS
Burkina Faso
1998
 a
2
2
3
HS
Cambodia
2001
2
1
2
HS
Cameroon
2001
8
8
7
HS
Canada
2005
 a,j
7
7
7
HS
Cayman Islands
1997
4
3
5
HS
Chad
1993
1
1
0
PC
Chile
2005
 a
7
6
9
HS
China
2005
 d
4
…
…
OE
Colombia
2005
 t
10
7
12
PC
Costa Rica
2005
 a
7
5
10
HS
Côte d'Ivoire
1998
 a
4
…
…
PC
Croatia
2005
13
12
14
HS
Cuba
2004
 ee
2
2
2
HS
Cyprus
2005
 w
5
4
7
HS
Czech Republic
2005
 gg
8
7
10
HS
Denmark
2005
 y
5
4
6
ELFS
Djibouti
1991
44
42
47
HS
Dominica
2001
11
12
9
HS
Dominican Republic
2005
18
11
29
HS
Ecuador
2005
 d
8
6
11
HS
Egypt
2004
 a
11
7
24
HS
El Salvador
2004
 ee
7
9
4
HS
Estonia
2005
8
9
7
HS
Ethiopia
2005
 a,y
5
3
8
HS
Fiji
1995
5
…
…
OE
Finland
2005
8
8
9
HS
France
2005
 p
10
9
11
HS
French Guiana
2005
27
24
30
HS
Gabon
1993
18
19
16
PC
Georgia
2005
14
15
13
HS
Germany
2005
 y
11
11
11
MC
Ghana
1999
10
9
11
HS
Greece
2005
10
6
15
ELFS
Greenland
2005
9
10
8
OE
Grenada
1998
15
11
21
HS
Guadeloupe
2005
26
22
30
HS
Guam
1993
 a
6
…
…
HS
Guatemala
2003
 a,x
3
3
5
HS
Guinea
1994
 b
3
5
2
HS
Guyana
2001
9
6
14
HS
Haiti
1999
7
6
8
HS
Honduras
2005
 n
4
3
6
HS
Hong Kong, China
2005
 a
6
7
4
HS
Hungary
2005
 dd
7
7
8
HS
Iceland
2005
3
3
3
HS
India
2004
 i
5
5
5
HS
Indonesia
2005
10
8
14
HS
Iran, Islamic Republic of
2005
12
10
17
HS
Iraq
2004
 y
27
29
15
HS
Ireland
2005
4
5
4
HS
Isle of Man
2001
 w
2
2
2
PC
Israel
2005
 a,c
9
9
10
HS
Italy
2005
 z
8
6
10
HS
Jamaica
2005
 a
11
7
15
HS
Japan
2005
4
5
4
HS
Jordan
2004
12
12
17
HS
Kazakhstan
2004
8
7
10
HS
Kenya
1999
 ee
10
…
…
PC
Korea, Republic of
2005
 a,dd
4
4
3
HS
Kuwait
2004
2
…
…
HS
Kyrgyzstan
2004
9
8
9
HS
Lao People's Democratic Republic
2005
1
1
1
PC
Latvia
2005
9
9
8
HS
Lesotho
1997
 a,w
39
31
47
HS
Lithuania
2005
 w
8
8
8
HS
Luxembourg
2005
5
4
6
ELFS
Macau, China
2005
 a,w
4
4
4
HS
Madagascar
2003
 a
5
4
6
HS
Malawi
1998
 w
1
1
1
PC
Malaysia
2004
 a
4
…
…
HS
Maldives
2000
2
2
3
PC
Mali
2004
9
7
11
HS
Malta
2005
 y
8
7
9
HS
Marshall Islands
2005
25
26
24
HS
Martinique
2005
22
20
20
HS
Mauritius
2005
 ee
10
6
17
HS
Mexico
2005
4
3
4
HS
Mongolia
2003
 a
14
14
14
HS
Morocco
2005
 w
11
11
12
HS
Myanmar
1990
 b,z
6
5
9
HS
Namibia
2001
31
27
36
PC
Nepal
2001
 w
9
7
11
PC
Netherlands
2005
5
5
6
HS
Netherlands Antilles
2003
 f
15
…
…
HS
New Caledonia
1996
19
16
23
PC
New Zealand
2005
 a,g
4
3
4
HS
Nicaragua
2003
 v
8
8
8
HS
Norway
2005
5
5
4
HS
Pakistan
2005
 a
8
7
13
HS
Panama
2005
 ee
10
8
14
HS
Papua New Guinea
2000
3
4
1
PC
Paraguay
2003
 l
8
7
10
HS
Peru
2005
 q
11
10
14
HS
Philippines
2005
7
7
7
HS
Poland
2005
 cc
18
17
19
HS
Portugal
2005
 z
8
7
9
HS
Puerto Rico
2005
 a,u
11
12
10
PC
Qatar
2001
4
2
13
HS
Republic of Moldova
2005
7
9
6
HS
Réunion
2005
 w
32
29
36
HS
Romania
2005
7
8
6
HS
Russian Federation
2004
8
8
8
HS
Rwanda
1996
 s
1
1
…
HS
Saint Lucia
2003
25
20
31
HS
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
1991
20
18
22
PC
Sao Tome and Principe
2000
14
13
18
HS
Saudi Arabia
2002
 z
5
4
12
HS
Serbia and Montenegro
2003
 h, ee
15
14
16
HS
Seychelles
1992
 a,x
35
28
41
HS
Singapore
2005
4
4
5
PC
Slovakia
2005
 aa
16
15
17
HS
Slovenia
2005
6
6
6
HS
South Africa
2005
27
27
27
HS
Spain
2005
 ee
9
7
12
HS
Sri Lanka
2005
 m
8
6
12
HS
St. Helena
1998
18
21
16
PC
Suriname
1999
14
10
20
HS
Swaziland
1997
 w
25
20
26
PC
Sweden
2005
8
8
8
HS
Switzerland
2005
4
4
5
HS
Syrian Arab Republic
2003
 a
12
9
28
HS
Taiwan, China
2003
 a
5
6
4
HS
Tanzania, United Republic of
2001
 r
5
4
6
HS
Thailand
2005
1
2
1
HS
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
2005
 a
37
37
38
HS
Trinidad and Tobago
2005
8
6
11
HS
Tunisia
2005
 w
14
13
17
HS
Turkey
2005
 a,ff
10
10
10
HS
Uganda
2003
 bb
3
3
4
HS
Ukraine
2005
 z
7
8
7
HS
United Arab Emirates
2000
 ee
2
2
3
OE
United Kingdom
2005
 ee
5
5
4
HS
United States
2005
 a,k
5
5
5
HS
Uruguay
2005
 d, y
12
10
15
HS
Venezuela
2004
15
13
18
HS
Viet Nam
2004
2
2
2
HS
West Bank and Gaza Strip
2004
27
28
20
HS
Yemen
1999
12
13
8
HS
Zambia
1998
 x
12
13
12
HS
Zimbabwe
2002
8
10
6
PC

 

Sources:

International Labour Office, Table 8a. Unemployment (LFS), published in Key Indicators of the Labour Market (KILM) Fifth Edition, CD-ROM version (ISBN 978-92-2-020126-8). Also available at: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/strat/kilm/ (accessed Oct 2007).

ELFS
 European Labour Force Survey (Eurostat).
HS
 Household survey.
MC
 Micro-census.
PC
 Population census.
OE
 Official estimate.

Footnotes:

Not available
a
 Refers to civilian labour force only
b
 Information on population coverage not available
c
 Coverage limitation: Excluding students
d
 Geographic limitation: Urban areas
e
 Geographic limitation: 28 urban agglomerations
f
 Geographic limitation: Curaçao
g
 Geographic limitation: Excluding Chathams, Antarctic Territory and other minor offshore islands
h
 Geographic limitation: Excluding Kosovo and Metohia
i
 Geographic limitation: Excluding Leh ad Kargil districts of Jammu and Kashmi, certain interior villages of Nagaland and villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Notes: Data are based on the national sample survey conducted every five years
j
 Geographic limitation: Excluding persons living in the Yukon, in Nunavut and in the North West Territories
k
 Geographic limitation: Excluding Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands and American Samoa
l
 Geographic limitation: Excluding the departments of Boquerón and Alto Paraguay
m
 Geographic limitation: Excluding the Northern province
n
 Geographic limitation: Excluding the provinces of Gracias a Dios and Islas de la Bahía
o
 Geographic limitation: Excluding the rural population of Rondônia, Acre, Amazonas, Roraima, Pará and Amapá
p
 Geographic limitation: Mainland France (excluding territories)
q
 Geographic limitation: Metropolitan Lima
r
 Geographic limitation: Tanganyika
s
 Notes: Estimates are based on a socio-demographic survey
t
 Notes: Estimates based on 1993 census results
u
 Notes: Estimates based on 2000 census results
v
 Notes: The criteria of availability for work is not verified
w
 Age group 10+ years
x
 Age group 12+ years
y
 Age group 14+ years
z
 Age group 15-64 years
aa
 Age group 15-69 years
bb
 Age group 15-70 years
cc
 Age group 15-72 years
dd
 Age group 15-74 years
ee
 Age group 16+ years
ff
 Age group 17-60 years
gg
 Age group 7+ years
Top

Technical notes:

The adult unemployment rate refers to the proportion of the adult (aged 15 years and older) labour force that is unemployed, unless otherwise specified. The unemployed are persons who are currently without work, who are currently available for work, and who are seeking or have sought work recently. The base for these statistics is the labour force (that is, the economically active portion of the population), not the total population.

The International Conference of Labour Statisticians adopted the following definition of the unemployed as an international recommendation in 1982: All persons who during the reference period were: (1) "without work", that is, were not in paid employment or self-employment as specified by the international definition of employment; (2) "currently available for work", that is, were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; or (3) "seeking work", that is, had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment.

National definitions of unemployment may differ from the recommended international standard definition. The national definitions used vary from one country to another as regards inter alia age limits, reference periods, criteria for seeking work, treatment of persons temporarily laid off and of persons seeking work for the first time. Inter-country comparisons are further hampered by the variety of types of source used to obtain information on unemployment and the differences in the scope and coverage of such sources.