Estonia — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Estonia, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Estonia was 8.31% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 16.71% in 2010. The lowest was 1.47% in 1991 (about 5.7× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 5.23% per year.
Estonia ranks 53 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 28%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 5.58%, so Estonia sits above it. It peaked in 2010 and has fallen 50% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 30%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 13 of 49 economies; France (7.54%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 151% in 1992. That is 31% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1991 level: doubled by 1992; grown tenfold by 2010. Doubling roughly every 14 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 170th of 187 in 1991 → 36th of 187 in 2000 → 22nd of 187 in 2010 → 85th of 187 in 2020 → 49th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8.31% | +0.7 pp |
| 2024 | 7.6% | +1.2 pp |
| 2023 | 6.38% | +0.8 pp |
| 2022 | 5.57% | -0.6 pp |
| 2021 | 6.18% | -0.8 pp |
| 2020 | 6.96% | +2.4 pp |
| 2019 | 4.51% | -0.9 pp |
| 2018 | 5.41% | -0.4 pp |
| 2017 | 5.81% | -1.1 pp |
| 2016 | 6.88% | +0.5 pp |
| 2015 | 6.41% | -0.9 pp |
| 2014 | 7.35% | -1.3 pp |
| 2013 | 8.63% | -1.4 pp |
| 2012 | 10.02% | -2.3 pp |
| 2011 | 12.33% | -4.4 pp |
| 2010 | 16.71% | +3.2 pp |
| 2009 | 13.55% | +8.1 pp |
| 2008 | 5.46% | +0.9 pp |
| 2007 | 4.59% | -1.3 pp |
| 2006 | 5.92% | -2.1 pp |
| 2005 | 8.03% | -2.2 pp |
| 2004 | 10.25% | -1.0 pp |
| 2003 | 11.29% | +1.3 pp |
| 2002 | 10.03% | -3.1 pp |
| 2001 | 13.13% | -0.2 pp |
| 2000 | 13.36% | +1.8 pp |
| 1999 | 11.57% | +2.1 pp |
| 1998 | 9.51% | -0.9 pp |
| 1997 | 10.37% | +0.5 pp |
| 1996 | 9.91% | +0.3 pp |
| 1995 | 9.66% | +2.1 pp |
| 1994 | 7.56% | +1.0 pp |
| 1993 | 6.54% | +2.9 pp |
| 1992 | 3.68% | +2.2 pp |
| 1991 | 1.47% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Estonia’s Unemployment in 1992?
3.68% (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 Estonia’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +466.3% in total — about 5.2% 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: 8.31%; 2024: 7.6%; 2023: 6.38%; 2022: 5.57%; 2021: 6.18%. 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.