Niger — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Niger, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Niger was 0.39% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 3.10% in 2005. The lowest was 0.32% in 2011 (about 1.2× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -4.02% per year.
Niger ranks 185 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 99%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Niger sits below it. It peaked in 2005 and has fallen 87% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 29%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 47 of 47 economies; Burundi (0.92%) is just above it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 589% in 2012. That is 24% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 168th of 187 in 1991 → 178th of 187 in 2000 → 183rd of 187 in 2010 → 185th of 187 in 2020 → 180th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.39% | +0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 0.38% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 0.41% | +0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 0.4% | -0.4 pp |
| 2021 | 0.81% | +0.2 pp |
| 2020 | 0.59% | +0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 0.53% | -0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 0.54% | -0.0 pp |
| 2017 | 0.56% | +0.0 pp |
| 2016 | 0.55% | -0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 0.56% | +0.0 pp |
| 2014 | 0.52% | -0.9 pp |
| 2013 | 1.4% | -0.8 pp |
| 2012 | 2.18% | +1.9 pp |
| 2011 | 0.32% | -0.4 pp |
| 2010 | 0.72% | -0.5 pp |
| 2009 | 1.21% | -0.4 pp |
| 2008 | 1.58% | -0.4 pp |
| 2007 | 2.02% | -0.5 pp |
| 2006 | 2.53% | -0.6 pp |
| 2005 | 3.1% | +0.3 pp |
| 2004 | 2.75% | +0.6 pp |
| 2003 | 2.15% | +0.3 pp |
| 2002 | 1.81% | +0.3 pp |
| 2001 | 1.47% | +0.0 pp |
| 2000 | 1.43% | +0.0 pp |
| 1999 | 1.39% | +0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 1.38% | -0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 1.5% | +0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 1.5% | +0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 1.49% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 1.5% | -0.0 pp |
| 1993 | 1.54% | -0.0 pp |
| 1992 | 1.57% | -0.0 pp |
| 1991 | 1.59% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Niger’s Unemployment in 1992?
1.57% (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 Niger’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -75.2% in total — about 4.0% 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: 0.39%; 2024: 0.38%; 2023: 0.41%; 2022: 0.4%; 2021: 0.81%. 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.