Guatemala — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Guatemala, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Guatemala was 2.60% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 3.50% in 2010. The lowest was 2.11% in 1999 (about 1.2× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.50% per year.
Guatemala ranks 162 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 87%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 5.99%, so Guatemala sits below it. It peaked in 2010 and has fallen 26% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 4%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 30 of 31 economies; Cuba (1.75%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 40% in 2022. That is 3% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 139 years at that pace.
World ranking. Slipped: 153rd of 187 in 1991 → 172nd of 187 in 2000 → 151st of 187 in 2010 → 161st of 187 in 2020 → 157th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.6% | -0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 2.61% | +0.3 pp |
| 2023 | 2.34% | -0.7 pp |
| 2022 | 3.05% | +0.9 pp |
| 2021 | 2.17% | -0.8 pp |
| 2020 | 2.97% | +0.8 pp |
| 2019 | 2.19% | -0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 2.28% | -0.2 pp |
| 2017 | 2.46% | -0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 2.58% | +0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 2.51% | -0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 2.72% | -0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 3.02% | +0.3 pp |
| 2012 | 2.77% | -0.4 pp |
| 2011 | 3.17% | -0.3 pp |
| 2010 | 3.5% | +0.3 pp |
| 2009 | 3.22% | +0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 2.9% | +0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 2.85% | -0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 2.96% | -0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 3.06% | +0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 2.97% | +0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 2.81% | +0.6 pp |
| 2002 | 2.25% | +0.0 pp |
| 2001 | 2.25% | +0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 2.14% | +0.0 pp |
| 1999 | 2.11% | -0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 2.15% | +0.0 pp |
| 1997 | 2.15% | -0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 2.16% | +0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 2.12% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 2.12% | -0.0 pp |
| 1993 | 2.13% | -0.0 pp |
| 1992 | 2.16% | -0.0 pp |
| 1991 | 2.2% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Guatemala’s Unemployment in 1992?
2.16% (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 Guatemala’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +18.5% 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: 2.6%; 2024: 2.61%; 2023: 2.34%; 2022: 3.05%; 2021: 2.17%. 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.