Bahamas, The — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Bahamas, The, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Bahamas, The was 9.21% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 16.18% in 2013. The lowest was 6.87% in 2001 (about 1.3× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.82% per year.
Bahamas, The ranks 43 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 23%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 5.99%, so Bahamas, The sits above it. It peaked in 2013 and has fallen 43% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 23%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 6 of 31 economies; Chile (8.97%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 74% in 2009. That is 10% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 38th of 187 in 1991 → 91st of 187 in 2000 → 30th of 187 in 2010 → 41st of 187 in 2020 → 39th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9.21% | +0.2 pp |
| 2024 | 9.05% | +0.4 pp |
| 2023 | 8.65% | -0.6 pp |
| 2022 | 9.25% | -1.8 pp |
| 2021 | 11.08% | -0.9 pp |
| 2020 | 12.02% | +2.7 pp |
| 2019 | 9.34% | -0.7 pp |
| 2018 | 10% | +0.2 pp |
| 2017 | 9.8% | -2.9 pp |
| 2016 | 12.7% | +0.7 pp |
| 2015 | 12% | -1.8 pp |
| 2014 | 13.8% | -2.4 pp |
| 2013 | 16.18% | +2.2 pp |
| 2012 | 14.02% | -0.5 pp |
| 2011 | 14.52% | +0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 14.44% | +0.2 pp |
| 2009 | 14.25% | +6.1 pp |
| 2008 | 8.18% | +0.3 pp |
| 2007 | 7.88% | +0.3 pp |
| 2006 | 7.54% | -2.7 pp |
| 2005 | 10.2% | +0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 10.2% | -0.6 pp |
| 2003 | 10.84% | +1.8 pp |
| 2002 | 9.05% | +2.2 pp |
| 2001 | 6.87% | -0.2 pp |
| 2000 | 7.12% | -0.3 pp |
| 1999 | 7.45% | -0.2 pp |
| 1998 | 7.65% | -2.1 pp |
| 1997 | 9.76% | -1.7 pp |
| 1996 | 11.46% | +0.6 pp |
| 1995 | 10.83% | -3.0 pp |
| 1994 | 13.83% | +1.1 pp |
| 1993 | 12.72% | -2.1 pp |
| 1992 | 14.81% | +2.6 pp |
| 1991 | 12.17% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Bahamas, The’s Unemployment in 1992?
14.81% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Bahamas, The’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -24.3% in total — about 0.8% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 9.21%; 2024: 9.05%; 2023: 8.65%; 2022: 9.25%; 2021: 11.08%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.