Congo, Rep. — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Congo, Rep., 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Congo, Rep. was 19.88% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 22.29% in 2020. The lowest was 19.30% in 2010 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.01% per year.
Congo, Rep. ranks 7 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 4%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Congo, Rep. sits above it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 11% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 1%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 5 of 47 economies; Namibia (19.29%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 9% in 2020. That is 3% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Climbed: 9th of 187 in 1991 → 11th of 187 in 2000 → 16th of 187 in 2010 → 6th of 187 in 2020 → 6th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19.88% | -0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 19.9% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 19.92% | -0.2 pp |
| 2022 | 20.13% | -1.9 pp |
| 2021 | 22% | -0.3 pp |
| 2020 | 22.29% | +1.8 pp |
| 2019 | 20.49% | -0.3 pp |
| 2018 | 20.84% | +0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 20.74% | +0.4 pp |
| 2016 | 20.3% | +0.3 pp |
| 2015 | 20.02% | +0.3 pp |
| 2014 | 19.7% | -0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 19.85% | +0.4 pp |
| 2012 | 19.49% | +0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 19.43% | +0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 19.3% | -0.5 pp |
| 2009 | 19.84% | -0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 19.96% | +0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 19.91% | +0.3 pp |
| 2006 | 19.56% | -0.2 pp |
| 2005 | 19.8% | -0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 19.9% | +0.0 pp |
| 2003 | 19.88% | +0.2 pp |
| 2002 | 19.64% | -0.2 pp |
| 2001 | 19.88% | +0.0 pp |
| 2000 | 19.87% | -0.3 pp |
| 1999 | 20.14% | +0.2 pp |
| 1998 | 19.9% | +0.0 pp |
| 1997 | 19.89% | -0.2 pp |
| 1996 | 20.05% | -0.2 pp |
| 1995 | 20.23% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 20.27% | +0.3 pp |
| 1993 | 19.99% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 19.92% | +0.0 pp |
| 1991 | 19.91% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Congo, Rep.’s Unemployment in 1992?
19.92% (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 Congo, Rep.’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -0.2% in total.
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: 19.88%; 2024: 19.9%; 2023: 19.92%; 2022: 20.13%; 2021: 22%. 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.