Norway — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Norway, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Norway was 4.64% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 6.31% in 1995. The lowest was 2.49% in 2007 (about 1.9× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.45% per year.
Norway ranks 109 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 58%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 5.58%, so Norway sits below it. It peaked in 1995 and has fallen 26% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 8%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 34 of 49 economies; Ireland (4.63%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 27% in 2007. That is 14% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 98th of 187 in 1991 → 149th of 187 in 2000 → 149th of 187 in 2010 → 137th of 187 in 2020 → 104th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.64% | +0.6 pp |
| 2024 | 4% | +0.4 pp |
| 2023 | 3.57% | +0.3 pp |
| 2022 | 3.23% | -1.1 pp |
| 2021 | 4.36% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 4.42% | +0.7 pp |
| 2019 | 3.68% | -0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 3.8% | -0.4 pp |
| 2017 | 4.16% | -0.5 pp |
| 2016 | 4.68% | +0.4 pp |
| 2015 | 4.3% | +0.8 pp |
| 2014 | 3.49% | +0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 3.43% | +0.3 pp |
| 2012 | 3.13% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 3.2% | -0.3 pp |
| 2010 | 3.53% | +0.4 pp |
| 2009 | 3.1% | +0.6 pp |
| 2008 | 2.52% | +0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 2.49% | -0.9 pp |
| 2006 | 3.4% | -1.0 pp |
| 2005 | 4.38% | +0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 4.26% | +0.0 pp |
| 2003 | 4.22% | +0.2 pp |
| 2002 | 4.02% | +0.3 pp |
| 2001 | 3.74% | +0.3 pp |
| 2000 | 3.46% | +0.2 pp |
| 1999 | 3.25% | -0.5 pp |
| 1998 | 3.74% | -1.0 pp |
| 1997 | 4.69% | -0.3 pp |
| 1996 | 5.04% | -1.3 pp |
| 1995 | 6.31% | +1.0 pp |
| 1994 | 5.35% | -0.6 pp |
| 1993 | 5.97% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 5.91% | +0.5 pp |
| 1991 | 5.41% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Norway’s Unemployment in 1992?
5.91% (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 Norway’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -14.2% in total — about 0.5% 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: 4.64%; 2024: 4%; 2023: 3.57%; 2022: 3.23%; 2021: 4.36%. 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.