Ecuador — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Ecuador, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Ecuador was 3.31% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 6.12% in 2020. The lowest was 3.08% in 2013 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.82% per year.
Ecuador ranks 136 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 73%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 5.99%, so Ecuador sits below it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 46% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 9%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 25 of 31 economies; El Salvador (3.30%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 60% in 2020. That is 17% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 113th of 187 in 1991 → 122nd of 187 in 2000 → 140th of 187 in 2010 → 98th of 187 in 2020 → 131st of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.31% | -0.1 pp |
| 2024 | 3.45% | -0.1 pp |
| 2023 | 3.51% | -0.2 pp |
| 2022 | 3.71% | -0.8 pp |
| 2021 | 4.5% | -1.6 pp |
| 2020 | 6.12% | +2.3 pp |
| 2019 | 3.81% | +0.3 pp |
| 2018 | 3.53% | -0.3 pp |
| 2017 | 3.84% | -0.8 pp |
| 2016 | 4.6% | +1.0 pp |
| 2015 | 3.62% | +0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 3.48% | +0.4 pp |
| 2013 | 3.08% | -0.2 pp |
| 2012 | 3.24% | -0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 3.46% | -0.6 pp |
| 2010 | 4.09% | -0.5 pp |
| 2009 | 4.61% | +0.7 pp |
| 2008 | 3.92% | +0.8 pp |
| 2007 | 3.14% | -0.4 pp |
| 2006 | 3.55% | -0.2 pp |
| 2005 | 3.78% | -1.2 pp |
| 2004 | 5% | -0.7 pp |
| 2003 | 5.66% | +0.8 pp |
| 2002 | 4.83% | +0.6 pp |
| 2001 | 4.25% | -0.5 pp |
| 2000 | 4.8% | +0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 4.66% | +0.3 pp |
| 1998 | 4.39% | -0.0 pp |
| 1997 | 4.42% | +0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 4.42% | +0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 4.41% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 4.41% | +0.0 pp |
| 1993 | 4.4% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 4.33% | -0.0 pp |
| 1991 | 4.37% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Ecuador’s Unemployment in 1992?
4.33% (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 Ecuador’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -24.3% in total — about 0.8% 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: 3.31%; 2024: 3.45%; 2023: 3.51%; 2022: 3.71%; 2021: 4.5%. 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.