Cyprus — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Cyprus, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Cyprus was 4.92% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 16.28% in 2014. The lowest was 2.09% in 1992 (about 2.4× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.47% per year.
Cyprus ranks 103 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 55%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 5.58%, so Cyprus sits below it. It peaked in 2014 and has fallen 70% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 67%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 30 of 49 economies; Switzerland (4.87%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 68% in 1999. That is 41% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1991 level: doubled by 2010. Doubling roughly every 48 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 134th of 187 in 1991 → 123rd of 187 in 2000 → 103rd of 187 in 2010 → 75th of 187 in 2020 → 98th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.92% | +0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 4.9% | -0.9 pp |
| 2023 | 5.84% | -1.0 pp |
| 2022 | 6.81% | -0.7 pp |
| 2021 | 7.51% | -0.2 pp |
| 2020 | 7.76% | +0.6 pp |
| 2019 | 7.16% | -1.3 pp |
| 2018 | 8.5% | -2.7 pp |
| 2017 | 11.16% | -1.9 pp |
| 2016 | 13.01% | -2.0 pp |
| 2015 | 15.03% | -1.3 pp |
| 2014 | 16.28% | +0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 16.13% | +4.0 pp |
| 2012 | 12.1% | +4.2 pp |
| 2011 | 7.94% | +1.6 pp |
| 2010 | 6.36% | +0.8 pp |
| 2009 | 5.59% | +1.8 pp |
| 2008 | 3.76% | -0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 3.95% | -0.6 pp |
| 2006 | 4.59% | -0.9 pp |
| 2005 | 5.48% | +0.7 pp |
| 2004 | 4.77% | +0.6 pp |
| 2003 | 4.15% | +0.8 pp |
| 2002 | 3.34% | -0.7 pp |
| 2001 | 4.04% | -0.7 pp |
| 2000 | 4.77% | -0.8 pp |
| 1999 | 5.53% | +2.2 pp |
| 1998 | 3.3% | -0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 3.4% | +0.3 pp |
| 1996 | 3.1% | +0.5 pp |
| 1995 | 2.6% | -0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 2.7% | +0.0 pp |
| 1993 | 2.7% | +0.6 pp |
| 1992 | 2.09% | -0.9 pp |
| 1991 | 3% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Cyprus’s Unemployment in 1992?
2.09% (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 Cyprus’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +64.1% in total — about 1.5% 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: 4.92%; 2024: 4.9%; 2023: 5.84%; 2022: 6.81%; 2021: 7.51%. 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.