Belarus — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Belarus, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Belarus was 3.38% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 24.40% in 1996. The lowest was 0.60% in 1991 (about 5.6× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 5.22% per year.
Belarus ranks 133 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 71%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 5.58%, so Belarus sits below it. It peaked in 1996 and has fallen 86% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 43%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 44 of 49 economies; Slovenia (3.17%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 417% in 1992. That is 23% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1991 level: doubled by 1992; grown tenfold by 1993. Doubling roughly every 14 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 186th of 187 in 1991 → 45th of 187 in 2000 → 104th of 187 in 2010 → 145th of 187 in 2020 → 128th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.38% | -0.1 pp |
| 2024 | 3.46% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 3.46% | -0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 3.57% | -0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 3.9% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 4.05% | -0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 4.17% | -0.6 pp |
| 2018 | 4.76% | -0.9 pp |
| 2017 | 5.65% | -0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 5.84% | -0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 5.88% | -0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 5.91% | -0.0 pp |
| 2013 | 5.94% | -0.0 pp |
| 2012 | 5.96% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 6.02% | -0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 6.05% | -0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 6.1% | -0.6 pp |
| 2008 | 6.73% | -0.7 pp |
| 2007 | 7.41% | -0.7 pp |
| 2006 | 8.07% | -0.7 pp |
| 2005 | 8.76% | -0.7 pp |
| 2004 | 9.46% | -0.7 pp |
| 2003 | 10.19% | -0.7 pp |
| 2002 | 10.87% | -0.7 pp |
| 2001 | 11.56% | -0.6 pp |
| 2000 | 12.19% | -0.6 pp |
| 1999 | 12.8% | -1.2 pp |
| 1998 | 14% | -3.1 pp |
| 1997 | 17.1% | -7.3 pp |
| 1996 | 24.4% | +6.7 pp |
| 1995 | 17.7% | +4.9 pp |
| 1994 | 12.8% | +4.3 pp |
| 1993 | 8.5% | +5.4 pp |
| 1992 | 3.1% | +2.5 pp |
| 1991 | 0.6% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Belarus’s Unemployment in 1992?
3.1% (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 Belarus’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +463.3% in total — about 5.2% 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: 3.38%; 2024: 3.46%; 2023: 3.46%; 2022: 3.57%; 2021: 3.9%. 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.