Canada — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Canada, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Canada was 6.91% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 11.38% in 1993. The lowest was 5.28% in 2022 (about 1.3× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -1.17% per year.
Canada ranks 63 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 34%. The median for North America is 6.91%, so Canada sits level with it. It peaked in 1993 and has fallen 39% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 1%. Its sharpest one-year move was up 70% in 2020. That is 4% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 49th of 187 in 1991 → 96th of 187 in 2000 → 74th of 187 in 2010 → 57th of 187 in 2020 → 58th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6.91% | +0.6 pp |
| 2024 | 6.35% | +0.9 pp |
| 2023 | 5.42% | +0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 5.28% | -2.2 pp |
| 2021 | 7.53% | -2.1 pp |
| 2020 | 9.66% | +4.0 pp |
| 2019 | 5.69% | -0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 5.84% | -0.6 pp |
| 2017 | 6.43% | -0.6 pp |
| 2016 | 7.04% | +0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 6.95% | -0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 7.02% | -0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 7.14% | -0.2 pp |
| 2012 | 7.39% | -0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 7.64% | -0.5 pp |
| 2010 | 8.18% | -0.3 pp |
| 2009 | 8.46% | +2.2 pp |
| 2008 | 6.28% | +0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 6.16% | -0.3 pp |
| 2006 | 6.48% | -0.3 pp |
| 2005 | 6.76% | -0.4 pp |
| 2004 | 7.19% | -0.4 pp |
| 2003 | 7.57% | -0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 7.67% | +0.4 pp |
| 2001 | 7.22% | +0.4 pp |
| 2000 | 6.83% | -0.8 pp |
| 1999 | 7.58% | -0.7 pp |
| 1998 | 8.28% | -0.8 pp |
| 1997 | 9.1% | -0.5 pp |
| 1996 | 9.62% | +0.1 pp |
| 1995 | 9.49% | -0.9 pp |
| 1994 | 10.4% | -1.0 pp |
| 1993 | 11.38% | +0.2 pp |
| 1992 | 11.2% | +0.9 pp |
| 1991 | 10.32% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Canada’s Unemployment in 1992?
11.2% (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 Canada’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -33.0% in total — about 1.2% 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: 6.91%; 2024: 6.35%; 2023: 5.42%; 2022: 5.28%; 2021: 7.53%. 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.