Cuba — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Cuba, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Cuba was 1.75% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 9.27% in 1993. The lowest was 1.58% in 2008 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -4.48% per year.
Cuba ranks 173 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 93%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 5.99%, so Cuba sits below it. It peaked in 1993 and has fallen 81% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 27%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 31 of 31 economies; Guatemala (2.60%) is just above it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 50% in 2010. That is 8% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 69th of 187 in 1991 → 115th of 187 in 2000 → 167th of 187 in 2010 → 173rd of 187 in 2020 → 168th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.75% | -0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 1.76% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 1.73% | -0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 1.83% | -0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 2.11% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 2.23% | +0.5 pp |
| 2019 | 1.71% | +0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 1.7% | +0.0 pp |
| 2017 | 1.7% | -0.3 pp |
| 2016 | 2% | -0.4 pp |
| 2015 | 2.4% | -0.3 pp |
| 2014 | 2.7% | -0.6 pp |
| 2013 | 3.29% | -0.2 pp |
| 2012 | 3.46% | +0.3 pp |
| 2011 | 3.18% | +0.7 pp |
| 2010 | 2.5% | +0.8 pp |
| 2009 | 1.67% | +0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 1.58% | -0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 1.79% | -0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 1.91% | -0.0 pp |
| 2005 | 1.95% | +0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 1.85% | -0.5 pp |
| 2003 | 2.33% | -1.0 pp |
| 2002 | 3.31% | -0.8 pp |
| 2001 | 4.08% | -1.4 pp |
| 2000 | 5.45% | -0.8 pp |
| 1999 | 6.26% | +0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 6.23% | -0.9 pp |
| 1997 | 7.1% | -0.5 pp |
| 1996 | 7.61% | -0.7 pp |
| 1995 | 8.27% | -0.5 pp |
| 1994 | 8.81% | -0.5 pp |
| 1993 | 9.27% | +0.5 pp |
| 1992 | 8.78% | +0.5 pp |
| 1991 | 8.31% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Cuba’s Unemployment in 1992?
8.78% (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 Cuba’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -79.0% in total — about 4.5% 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: 1.75%; 2024: 1.76%; 2023: 1.73%; 2022: 1.83%; 2021: 2.11%. 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.