Guinea-Bissau — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Guinea-Bissau, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Guinea-Bissau was 2.67% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 3.36% in 2000. The lowest was 2.41% in 2019 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.35% per year.
Guinea-Bissau ranks 161 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 86%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Guinea-Bissau sits below it. It peaked in 2000 and has fallen 20% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 16%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 40 of 47 economies; Cote d'Ivoire (2.32%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 23% in 2019. That is 7% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 133rd of 187 in 1991 → 150th of 187 in 2000 → 159th of 187 in 2010 → 164th of 187 in 2020 → 156th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.67% | +0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 2.65% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 2.63% | -0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 2.67% | -0.4 pp |
| 2021 | 3.02% | +0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 2.89% | +0.5 pp |
| 2019 | 2.41% | -0.7 pp |
| 2018 | 3.13% | +0.0 pp |
| 2017 | 3.09% | -0.0 pp |
| 2016 | 3.14% | -0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 3.17% | -0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 3.29% | +0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 3.17% | +0.0 pp |
| 2012 | 3.14% | +0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 3.07% | -0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 3.12% | -0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 3.16% | +0.0 pp |
| 2008 | 3.16% | +0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 3.13% | -0.0 pp |
| 2006 | 3.14% | -0.0 pp |
| 2005 | 3.18% | -0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 3.23% | +0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 3.17% | +0.0 pp |
| 2002 | 3.15% | +0.2 pp |
| 2001 | 2.96% | -0.4 pp |
| 2000 | 3.36% | +0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 3.27% | -0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 3.35% | +0.4 pp |
| 1997 | 2.95% | -0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 2.99% | -0.1 pp |
| 1995 | 3.13% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 3.17% | +0.0 pp |
| 1993 | 3.14% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 3.08% | +0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 3.01% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Guinea-Bissau’s Unemployment in 1992?
3.08% (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 Guinea-Bissau’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -11.2% in total — about 0.3% 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: 2.67%; 2024: 2.65%; 2023: 2.63%; 2022: 2.67%; 2021: 3.02%. 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.