Liberia — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Liberia, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Liberia was 2.88% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 4.10% in 2020. The lowest was 2.01% in 1999 (about 1.4× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.16% per year.
Liberia ranks 152 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 81%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Liberia sits below it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 30% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 13%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 36 of 47 economies; Mali (2.83%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 34% in 2020. That is 8% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 141st of 187 in 1991 → 174th of 187 in 2000 → 170th of 187 in 2010 → 143rd of 187 in 2020 → 147th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.88% | -0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 2.91% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 2.91% | -0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 2.96% | -0.9 pp |
| 2021 | 3.84% | -0.3 pp |
| 2020 | 4.1% | +1.0 pp |
| 2019 | 3.07% | +0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 3.06% | -0.0 pp |
| 2017 | 3.07% | -0.0 pp |
| 2016 | 3.08% | +0.5 pp |
| 2015 | 2.56% | +0.5 pp |
| 2014 | 2.08% | -0.0 pp |
| 2013 | 2.08% | -0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 2.15% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 2.21% | -0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 2.27% | +0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 2.24% | +0.0 pp |
| 2008 | 2.22% | -0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 2.23% | -0.0 pp |
| 2006 | 2.28% | -0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 2.41% | -0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 2.42% | +0.0 pp |
| 2003 | 2.42% | +0.2 pp |
| 2002 | 2.22% | +0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 2.1% | +0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 2.02% | +0.0 pp |
| 1999 | 2.01% | -0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 2.06% | -0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 2.19% | -0.2 pp |
| 1996 | 2.4% | -0.2 pp |
| 1995 | 2.59% | -0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 2.65% | -0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 2.71% | -0.0 pp |
| 1992 | 2.72% | -0.0 pp |
| 1991 | 2.74% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Liberia’s Unemployment in 1992?
2.72% (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 Liberia’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +5.4% in total — about 0.2% 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: 2.88%; 2024: 2.91%; 2023: 2.91%; 2022: 2.96%; 2021: 3.84%. 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.