Law in Charts · Work and identity
Unemployment, over time
How has unemployment moved in nine countries since 2000?
% of the labour force
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external d, Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate), via the World Bank. Data for 2000 to 2025. What it counts, how to cite it and the data
At a glance
- United States: 4.0% in 2000, 4.2% in 2025.
- United Kingdom: 5.6% in 2000, 4.7% in 2025.
- Germany: 7.9% in 2000, 3.7% in 2025.
- France: 10.2% in 2000, 7.5% in 2025.
- India: 7.6% in 2000, 4.2% in 2025.
- Brazil: 10.9% in 2000, 6.0% in 2025.
- Japan: 4.7% in 2000, 2.5% in 2025.
- South Africa: 22.8% in 2000, 32.4% in 2025.
- Bulgaria: 16.2% in 2000, 3.5% in 2025.
The countries shown are a selection from different regions and legal traditions, chosen for the length of their data and not for any result.
What it counts
People without work who are available for it and looking for it, as a share of the labour force (a modelled ILO estimate).
What it leaves out, and how far to trust a comparison
These are modelled estimates, and definitions of looking for work differ. A line shows that something changed, not why.
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external d: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate), via the World Bank, compiled in World Bank, World Development Indicators. Source licence: CC BY 4.0. Data retrieved 2026-10-23 to 2026-10-25.
Cite this chart
Free to use in teaching, articles, reports and slides, with credit. Our compilation is licensed CC BY 4.0; the source publishes the underlying data under its own licence, shown below.
Reference (APA style)
TheLawToKnow. (2026). Unemployment, over time [Chart]. Law in Charts. https://tools.thelawtoknow.com/law-in-charts/unemployment-trend. Data: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external d, Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate), via the World Bank, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS (data retrieved 2026-10-23 to 2026-10-25).
Short credit for slides and websites
Chart: TheLawToKnow, Law in Charts (https://tools.thelawtoknow.com/law-in-charts/unemployment-trend). Data: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external d, via World Bank, World Development Indicators.
BibTeX
@misc{unemploymenttrend2026,
author = {{TheLawToKnow}},
title = {Unemployment, over time},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Law in Charts},
url = {https://tools.thelawtoknow.com/law-in-charts/unemployment-trend},
note = {Data: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external d, Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate), via the World Bank, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-23 to 2026-10-25.}
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Learn more
- Course: Labor and Employment Law
More in Work and identity
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- Children whose births are registered
- How many asylum decisions were positive?
- Employment rate of men aged 20 to 64
- Accidents at work causing more than three days' absence
- Unemployment
- Children aged 7 to 14 who work
- Deaths registered with a cause
General information, not legal advice. All charts.