Madagascar — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Madagascar, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Madagascar was 3.04% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 6.32% in 1993. The lowest was 0.60% in 2012 (about 5.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -2.06% per year.
Madagascar ranks 146 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 78%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Madagascar sits below it. It peaked in 1993 and has fallen 52% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 70%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 34 of 47 economies; Ghana (2.98%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 76% in 2012. That is 12% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 93rd of 187 in 1991 → 108th of 187 in 2000 → 134th of 187 in 2010 → 158th of 187 in 2020 → 141st of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.04% | -0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 3.05% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 3.04% | -0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 3.19% | -0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 3.5% | +0.2 pp |
| 2020 | 3.29% | +0.8 pp |
| 2019 | 2.48% | +0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 2.3% | +0.2 pp |
| 2017 | 2.12% | +0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 1.95% | +0.2 pp |
| 2015 | 1.79% | +0.4 pp |
| 2014 | 1.39% | +0.4 pp |
| 2013 | 1% | +0.4 pp |
| 2012 | 0.6% | -1.9 pp |
| 2011 | 2.52% | -1.8 pp |
| 2010 | 4.28% | +0.4 pp |
| 2009 | 3.89% | +0.5 pp |
| 2008 | 3.43% | +0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 3.2% | +0.3 pp |
| 2006 | 2.95% | +0.3 pp |
| 2005 | 2.62% | -1.3 pp |
| 2004 | 3.95% | -1.1 pp |
| 2003 | 5.01% | -0.5 pp |
| 2002 | 5.52% | +0.2 pp |
| 2001 | 5.35% | -0.5 pp |
| 2000 | 5.8% | -0.0 pp |
| 1999 | 5.82% | -0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 5.9% | -0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 5.97% | -0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 6.09% | +0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 6.09% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 6.11% | -0.2 pp |
| 1993 | 6.32% | +0.0 pp |
| 1992 | 6.28% | +0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 6.17% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Madagascar’s Unemployment in 1992?
6.28% (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 Madagascar’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -50.7% in total — about 2.1% 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: 3.04%; 2024: 3.05%; 2023: 3.04%; 2022: 3.19%; 2021: 3.5%. 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.