Guyana — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Guyana, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Guyana was 11.96% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 15.31% in 2020. The lowest was 10.70% in 2006 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.03% per year.
Guyana ranks 26 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 14%. The median for Latin America & Caribbean is 5.99%, so Guyana sits above it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 22% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 8%. Within Latin America & Caribbean it ranks 3 of 31 economies; Virgin Islands (U.S.) (11.44%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 18% in 2022. That is 9% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Climbed: 40th of 187 in 1991 → 47th of 187 in 2000 → 44th of 187 in 2010 → 28th of 187 in 2020 → 24th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11.96% | +0.1 pp |
| 2024 | 11.87% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 11.92% | +0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 11.91% | -2.7 pp |
| 2021 | 14.58% | -0.7 pp |
| 2020 | 15.31% | +2.1 pp |
| 2019 | 13.17% | -0.5 pp |
| 2018 | 13.63% | +0.2 pp |
| 2017 | 13.47% | +0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 13.26% | +0.3 pp |
| 2015 | 13.01% | +0.4 pp |
| 2014 | 12.64% | +0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 12.3% | +0.3 pp |
| 2012 | 12.03% | +0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 11.81% | +0.2 pp |
| 2010 | 11.63% | +0.3 pp |
| 2009 | 11.31% | +0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 11.02% | +0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 10.84% | +0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 10.7% | -0.4 pp |
| 2005 | 11.09% | -0.2 pp |
| 2004 | 11.28% | -0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 11.53% | -0.3 pp |
| 2002 | 11.81% | +0.0 pp |
| 2001 | 11.8% | -0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 11.92% | +0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 11.77% | +0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 11.69% | +0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 11.57% | +0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 11.54% | -0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 11.57% | +0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 11.53% | -0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 11.62% | -0.3 pp |
| 1992 | 11.9% | -0.2 pp |
| 1991 | 12.09% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Guyana’s Unemployment in 1992?
11.9% (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 Guyana’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -1.1% in total.
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: 11.96%; 2024: 11.87%; 2023: 11.92%; 2022: 11.91%; 2021: 14.58%. 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.