Brunei Darussalam — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Brunei Darussalam, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Brunei Darussalam was 5.28% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 9.32% in 2017. The lowest was 4.70% in 1991 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.34% per year.
Brunei Darussalam ranks 92 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 49%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 3.05%, so Brunei Darussalam sits above it. It peaked in 2017 and has fallen 43% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 31%. Within East Asia & Pacific it ranks 5 of 29 economies; Mongolia (5.23%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 34% in 2021. That is 22% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Climbed: 109th of 187 in 1991 → 113th of 187 in 2000 → 102nd of 187 in 2010 → 81st of 187 in 2020 → 87th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5.28% | +0.1 pp |
| 2024 | 5.18% | -0.1 pp |
| 2023 | 5.3% | +0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 5.19% | +0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 4.91% | -2.5 pp |
| 2020 | 7.41% | +0.8 pp |
| 2019 | 6.6% | -2.1 pp |
| 2018 | 8.7% | -0.6 pp |
| 2017 | 9.32% | +0.8 pp |
| 2016 | 8.54% | +0.8 pp |
| 2015 | 7.7% | +0.8 pp |
| 2014 | 6.86% | +0.2 pp |
| 2013 | 6.71% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 6.57% | +0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 6.51% | +0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 6.49% | +0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 6.46% | +0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 6.31% | +0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 6.19% | +0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 6.06% | +0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 5.97% | +0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 5.85% | +0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 5.74% | +0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 5.65% | +0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 5.56% | +0.0 pp |
| 2000 | 5.53% | +0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 5.42% | +0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 5.36% | +0.2 pp |
| 1997 | 5.2% | +0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 5.15% | +0.1 pp |
| 1995 | 5.07% | +0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 5.01% | +0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 4.9% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 4.79% | +0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 4.7% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Brunei Darussalam’s Unemployment in 1992?
4.79% (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 Brunei Darussalam’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +12.3% in total — about 0.3% 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: 5.28%; 2024: 5.18%; 2023: 5.3%; 2022: 5.19%; 2021: 4.91%. 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.