Eritrea — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Eritrea, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Eritrea was 5.98% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 6.49% in 2021. The lowest was 5.13% in 1991 (about 1.2× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.45% per year.
Eritrea ranks 78 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 42%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Eritrea sits above it. It peaked in 2021 and has fallen 8% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 4%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 21 of 47 economies; Zambia (5.92%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 10% in 2020.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 154 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 102nd of 187 in 1991 → 111th of 187 in 2000 → 105th of 187 in 2010 → 94th of 187 in 2020 → 73rd of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5.98% | +0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 5.95% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 5.91% | -0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 6.03% | -0.5 pp |
| 2021 | 6.49% | +0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 6.38% | +0.6 pp |
| 2019 | 5.81% | +0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 5.76% | -0.0 pp |
| 2017 | 5.8% | +0.0 pp |
| 2016 | 5.77% | +0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 5.75% | +0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 5.64% | +0.0 pp |
| 2013 | 5.62% | -0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 5.69% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 5.8% | -0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 5.85% | +0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 5.76% | +0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 5.68% | -0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 5.72% | +0.0 pp |
| 2006 | 5.71% | -0.0 pp |
| 2005 | 5.72% | +0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 5.7% | -0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 5.79% | -0.0 pp |
| 2002 | 5.79% | +0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 5.74% | +0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 5.66% | +0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 5.6% | +0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 5.5% | +0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 5.4% | +0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 5.31% | -0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 5.35% | -0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 5.45% | +0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 5.39% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 5.3% | +0.2 pp |
| 1991 | 5.13% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Eritrea’s Unemployment in 1992?
5.3% (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 Eritrea’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +16.6% in total — about 0.5% 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: 5.98%; 2024: 5.95%; 2023: 5.91%; 2022: 6.03%; 2021: 6.49%. 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.