Kazakhstan — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Kazakhstan, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Kazakhstan was 4.77% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 13.46% in 1999. The lowest was 0.90% in 1991 (about 5.3× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 5.03% per year.
Kazakhstan ranks 107 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 57%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 5.58%, so Kazakhstan sits below it. It peaked in 1999 and has fallen 65% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 3%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 32 of 49 economies; United Kingdom (4.75%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 579% in 1994. That is 3% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1991 level: doubled by 1994; grown tenfold by 1995. Doubling roughly every 14 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 179th of 187 in 1991 → 40th of 187 in 2000 → 107th of 187 in 2010 → 127th of 187 in 2020 → 102nd of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.77% | -0.1 pp |
| 2024 | 4.83% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 4.84% | -0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 4.86% | -0.7 pp |
| 2021 | 5.57% | +0.7 pp |
| 2020 | 4.89% | +0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 4.8% | -0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 4.85% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 4.9% | -0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 4.96% | +0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 4.93% | -0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 5.06% | -0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 5.2% | -0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 5.29% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 5.39% | -0.4 pp |
| 2010 | 5.77% | -0.8 pp |
| 2009 | 6.55% | -0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 6.63% | -0.6 pp |
| 2007 | 7.26% | -0.5 pp |
| 2006 | 7.79% | -0.3 pp |
| 2005 | 8.13% | -0.3 pp |
| 2004 | 8.4% | -0.4 pp |
| 2003 | 8.78% | -0.6 pp |
| 2002 | 9.33% | -1.1 pp |
| 2001 | 10.43% | -2.3 pp |
| 2000 | 12.75% | -0.7 pp |
| 1999 | 13.46% | +0.3 pp |
| 1998 | 13.13% | +0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 13.01% | +0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 12.96% | +2.0 pp |
| 1995 | 10.98% | +3.4 pp |
| 1994 | 7.54% | +6.4 pp |
| 1993 | 1.11% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 1% | +0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 0.9% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Kazakhstan’s Unemployment in 1992?
1% (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 Kazakhstan’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +430.1% in total — about 5.0% 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: 4.77%; 2024: 4.83%; 2023: 4.84%; 2022: 4.86%; 2021: 5.57%. 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.