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Libya — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Libya, 1991–2025.
Latest value · 2025
18.76%
Unemployment Rate · % of total labor force · +0.8% since 1991
Unemployment for Libya was 18.76% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 19.78% in 2021. The lowest was 18.60% in 1991 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.02% per year.
Libya ranks 10 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 5%. The median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 9.00%, so Libya sits above it. It peaked in 2021 and has fallen 5% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 5%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
18.76%
First (1991)
18.60%
Change
+0.8%
Highest
19.78%
in 2021
Lowest
18.60%
in 1991
Average
19.15%
Annual growth (CAGR)
0.02%
Years of data
35
Recent years
| Year | % of total labor force |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 18.76% |
| 2024 | 19.09% |
| 2023 | 18.71% |
| 2022 | 19.24% |
| 2021 | 19.78% |
| 2020 | 19.65% |
| 2019 | 19.09% |
| 2018 | 18.86% |
| 2017 | 19.05% |
| 2016 | 19.56% |
| 2015 | 19.69% |
| 2014 | 19.3% |
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.