Unemployment Rate - Ranking 2021
In 2021, Qatar (0.14%), Cambodia (0.40%), and Moldova (0.79%) ranked highest in unemployment rate among all countries. Eswatini ranked lowest at 34.15%.
Data & analysis
- Qatar — 0.13
- Cambodia — 0.26
- Niger — 0.39
- Thailand — 0.78
- Burundi — 0.92
In 2025, the global unemployment ranking reveals stark contrasts: Qatar leads with a rate of 0.13 percent, while Cambodia follows at 0.263 percent. These top performers are often small economies with large migrant labor forces or informal sectors that absorb most job seekers, effectively minimizing recorded unemployment. Niger (0.394 percent) and Thailand (0.781 percent) similarly reflect agricultural or state-managed labor markets where underemployment rather than open joblessness prevails. At the bottom, Eswatini (34.202 percent) and South Africa (32.391 percent) suffer from structural rigidities, including mismatches between skills and available jobs, alongside persistently low economic growth that fails to generate sufficient formal employment. Djibouti (26.015 percent) rounds out the bottom three, facing comparable challenges in a fragile regional context. The 2025 data thus underscores how labor market institutions and economic structure, not just growth, shape unemployment outcomes. Shifts in global commodity demand or technological adoption in agriculture could significantly reshuffle this leaderboard in coming years.
| Rank | Country | Value | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|