Benin — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Benin, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Benin was 1.59% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 2.65% in 2011. The lowest was 0.69% in 2002 (about 2.3× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.09% per year.
Benin ranks 175 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 94%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Benin sits below it. It peaked in 2011 and has fallen 40% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 16%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 43 of 47 economies; Tanzania (1.57%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 155% in 2011. That is 3% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 166th of 187 in 1991 → 182nd of 187 in 2000 → 179th of 187 in 2010 → 179th of 187 in 2020 → 170th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.59% | -0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 1.64% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 1.64% | -0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 1.69% | -0.1 pp |
| 2021 | 1.83% | +0.3 pp |
| 2020 | 1.52% | +0.3 pp |
| 2019 | 1.21% | -0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 1.43% | -0.3 pp |
| 2017 | 1.69% | -0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 1.83% | -0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 1.89% | -0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 1.95% | -0.2 pp |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -0.3 pp |
| 2012 | 2.46% | -0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 2.65% | +1.6 pp |
| 2010 | 1.04% | +0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 0.95% | +0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 0.9% | -0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 0.9% | +0.0 pp |
| 2006 | 0.89% | +0.0 pp |
| 2005 | 0.86% | +0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 0.79% | +0.0 pp |
| 2003 | 0.75% | +0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 0.69% | -0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 0.77% | -0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 0.86% | -0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 0.95% | -0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 1.05% | -0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 1.1% | -0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 1.25% | -0.1 pp |
| 1995 | 1.31% | -0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 1.45% | -0.0 pp |
| 1993 | 1.49% | -0.0 pp |
| 1992 | 1.51% | -0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 1.64% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Benin’s Unemployment in 1992?
1.51% (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 Benin’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -2.9% in total — about 0.1% 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: 1.59%; 2024: 1.64%; 2023: 1.64%; 2022: 1.69%; 2021: 1.83%. 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.