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Latvia — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Latvia, 1991–2025.
Latest value · 2025
6.57%
Unemployment Rate · % of total labor force · +143.3% since 1991
Unemployment for Latvia was 6.57% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 20.70% in 1996. The lowest was 2.70% in 1991 (about 2.4× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 2.65% per year.
Latvia ranks 68 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 36%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 5.58%, so Latvia sits above it. It peaked in 1996 and has fallen 68% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 33%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
6.57%
First (1991)
2.70%
Change
+143.3%
Highest
20.70%
in 1996
Lowest
2.70%
in 1991
Average
11.41%
Annual growth (CAGR)
2.65%
Years of data
35
Recent years
| Year | % of total labor force |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 6.57% |
| 2024 | 6.9% |
| 2023 | 6.47% |
| 2022 | 6.82% |
| 2021 | 7.51% |
| 2020 | 8.1% |
| 2019 | 6.31% |
| 2018 | 7.41% |
| 2017 | 8.72% |
| 2016 | 9.64% |
| 2015 | 9.87% |
| 2014 | 10.85% |
Reading this correctly. Share of the labor force without work but available for and seeking employment. National definitions differ, so cross-country comparison needs care. Figures are in % of total labor force. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
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.