Unemployment figures around the world can vary by some large amounts, and not all figures can be relied upon for accuracy.  However, these are some figures that give an indication of unemployment rates around the world.
Selected Countries:
| Unemployment % Rate | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 |
| Australia | 5.6% | 4.3% | ||||
| Canada | 8.3% | 6.2% | ||||
| European Union | 9.0% | 7.1% | ||||
| India | 10.7% | 10.4% | ||||
| Japan | 5.1% | 4.0% | ||||
| Korea, South | 3.7% | 3.2% | ||||
| New Zealand | 6.2% | 4.2% | ||||
| Philippines | 7.5% | 7.4% | ||||
| Russia | 8.4% | 6.4% | ||||
| Switzerland | 3.7% | 2.6% | ||||
| United Kingdom | 7.6% | 5.6% | ||||
| United States | 9.3% | 5.8% |
A full chart showing most countries:
| Unemployment % Rate | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 |
| Afghanistan | 35.0% | 40.0% | ||||
| Albania | 12.8% | 12.8% | ||||
| Algeria | 10.2% | 11.3% | ||||
| American Samoa | 29.8% | |||||
| Andorra | 7.0% | |||||
| Argentina | 8.7% | 7.9% | ||||
| Armenia | 7.1% | |||||
| Aruba | 6.9% | |||||
| Australia | 5.6% | 4.3% | ||||
| Austria | 4.8% | 3.8% | ||||
| Azerbaijan | 6.0% | 7.0% | ||||
| Bahamas, The | 7.6% | |||||
| Bahrain | 15.0% | |||||
| Bangladesh | 5.1% | 4.2% | ||||
| Belarus | 1.0% | 1.6% | ||||
| Belgium | 7.9% | 7.0% | ||||
| Belize | 8.1% | 9.4% | ||||
| Bhutan | 4.0% | |||||
| Bolivia | 8.5% | 7.5% | ||||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 40.0% | 29.0% | ||||
| Botswana | 7.5% | |||||
| Brazil | 8.1% | 7.9% | ||||
| Brunei | 3.7% | 4.0% | ||||
| Bulgaria | 9.1% | 6.3% | ||||
| Burma | 4.9% | 5.0% | ||||
| Cambodia | 3.5% | |||||
| Canada | 8.3% | 6.2% | ||||
| Cape Verde | 21.0% | |||||
| Cayman Islands | 4.0% | |||||
| Chile | 9.6% | 7.8% | ||||
| China | 4.3% | 4.2% | ||||
| Colombia | 12.0% | 10.6% | ||||
| Cook Islands | 13.1% | |||||
| Costa Rica | 7.8% | 4.9% | ||||
| Croatia | 16.1% | 13.5% | ||||
| Cuba | 1.7% | 1.6% | ||||
| Curacao | 10.3% | |||||
| Cyprus | 5.3% | 3.6% | ||||
| Czech Republic | 8.1% | 5.4% | ||||
| Denmark | 4.3% | 3.4% | ||||
| Djibouti | 59.0% | |||||
| Dominican Republic | 14.9% | 14.1% | ||||
| Ecuador | 8.5% | 7.3% | ||||
| Egypt | 9.4% | 8.7% | ||||
| El Salvador | 7.2% | 6.9% | ||||
| Estonia | 13.8% | 5.5% | ||||
| European Union | 9.0% | 7.1% | ||||
| Faroe Islands | 3.9% | 1.2% | ||||
| Finland | 8.2% | 6.4% | ||||
| France | 9.1% | 7.4% | ||||
| French Polynesia | 11.7% | |||||
| Gabon | 21.0% | |||||
| Gaza Strip | 40.0% | 37.0% | ||||
| Georgia | 16.4% | 13.6% | ||||
| Germany | 7.5% | 7.3% | ||||
| Gibraltar | 3.0% | |||||
| Greece | 9.4% | 7.7% | ||||
| Greenland | 6.8% | 7.3% | ||||
| Guatemala | 3.2% | |||||
| Guernsey | 0.9% | |||||
| Guyana | 11.0% | |||||
| Honduras | 3.2% | 3.0% | ||||
| Hong Kong | 5.2% | 3.5% | ||||
| Hungary | 10.0% | 7.8% | ||||
| Iceland | 8.0% | 1.6% | ||||
| India | 10.7% | 10.4% | ||||
| Indonesia | 8.1% | 8.4% | ||||
| Iran | 11.8% | 10.3% | ||||
| Iraq | 15.2% | 18.0% | ||||
| Ireland | 11.8% | 6.3% | ||||
| Isle of Man | 1.5% | |||||
| Israel | 7.6% | 6.1% | ||||
| Italy | 7.8% | 6.8% | ||||
| Jamaica | 11.4% | 10.6% | ||||
| Japan | 5.1% | 4.0% | ||||
| Jersey | 2.2% | |||||
| Jordan | 12.9% | 12.7% | ||||
| Kazakhstan | 6.3% | 6.6% | ||||
| Kenya | 40.0% | |||||
| Korea, South | 3.7% | 3.2% | ||||
| Kosovo | 16.6% | |||||
| Laos | 2.5% | 2.4% | ||||
| Latvia | 17.1% | 7.5% | ||||
| Lebanon | 9.2% | |||||
| Liechtenstein | 1.5% | |||||
| Lithuania | 13.7% | 5.8% | ||||
| Luxembourg | 5.7% | 4.4% | ||||
| Macau | 3.6% | 3.0% | ||||
| Macedonia | 32.2% | 33.8% | ||||
| Malaysia | 3.7% | 3.3% | ||||
| Maldives | 14.4% | |||||
| Malta | 7.0% | 6.0% | ||||
| Marshall Islands | 36.0% | |||||
| Mauritania | 30.0% | |||||
| Mauritius | 7.3% | 7.2% | ||||
| Mayotte | 25.4% | |||||
| Mexico | 5.5% | 4.0% | ||||
| Moldova | 3.1% | 1.4% | ||||
| Mongolia | 2.8% | 3.0% | ||||
| Montenegro | 14.7% | |||||
| Morocco | 9.1% | 9.6% | ||||
| Namibia | 51.2% | |||||
| Nepal | 46.0% | |||||
| Netherlands | 4.8% | 3.8% | ||||
| New Zealand | 6.2% | 4.2% | ||||
| Nicaragua | 8.2% | 6.1% | ||||
| Nigeria | 4.9% | |||||
| Northern Mariana Islands | 8.0% | |||||
| Norway | 3.2% | 2.6% | ||||
| Pakistan | 14.0% | 12.6% | ||||
| Palau | 4.2% | |||||
| Panama | 6.7% | 5.8% | ||||
| Paraguay | 7.9% | 5.4% | ||||
| Peru | 8.1% | 8.1% | ||||
| Philippines | 7.5% | 7.4% | ||||
| Poland | 11.0% | 9.8% | ||||
| Portugal | 9.5% | 7.6% | ||||
| Qatar | 0.5% | 0.4% | ||||
| Romania | 7.8% | 4.4% | ||||
| Russia | 8.4% | 6.4% | ||||
| San Marino | 3.1% | |||||
| Saudi Arabia | 10.5% | 9.8% | ||||
| Senegal | 48.0% | |||||
| Serbia | 16.6% | |||||
| Seychelles | 2.0% | |||||
| Singapore | 3.0% | 2.3% | ||||
| Sint Maarten | 10.6% | |||||
| Slovakia | 11.4% | 7.7% | ||||
| Slovenia | 9.2% | 6.7% | ||||
| South Africa | 24.0% | 22.9% | ||||
| Spain | 18.1% | 11.4% | ||||
| Sri Lanka | 5.9% | 5.5% | ||||
| Swaziland | 40.0% | |||||
| Sweden | 8.3% | 6.2% | ||||
| Switzerland | 3.7% | 2.6% | ||||
| Syria | 8.5% | 10.9% | ||||
| Taiwan | 5.9% | 4.1% | ||||
| Tajikistan | 2.2% | 2.3% | ||||
| Thailand | 1.5% | 1.4% | ||||
| Timor-Leste | 20.0% | |||||
| Trinidad and Tobago | 5.8% | 4.6% | ||||
| Tunisia | 13.3% | 14.2% | ||||
| Turkey | 14.1% | 11.2% | ||||
| Ukraine | 8.8% | 6.4% | ||||
| United Kingdom | 7.6% | 5.6% | ||||
| United States | 9.3% | 5.8% | ||||
| Uruguay | 7.6% | 7.6% | ||||
| Uzbekistan | 1.1% | 1.0% | ||||
| Venezuela | 7.9% | 7.4% | ||||
| Vietnam | 6.5% | 4.7% | ||||
| West Bank | 19.0% | 17.7% | ||||
| World | 8.7% | 7.2% | ||||
| Zimbabwe | 95.0% | 80.0% |
Sources:
- www.cia.gov/library as at Dec 2010
The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed divided by the total labour force.
The labour force is the total of people employed plus the unemployed that are seeking work.
The definition of Employed is normally anyone that is working at least 1 hour per week.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) – an agency of the United Nations – sets out guidelines for measuring employment. Under ILO guidelines anyone working for at least an hour a week is employed.
Sources: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/employment.pdf
Employed persons are those aged 15 years and over who have worked for at least one hour in the week of the surveyhttp://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/ewrwp/paidwork/appendixe.htm
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