Poland — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Poland, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Poland was 2.98% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 20.21% in 2002. The lowest was 2.74% in 2023 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -4.38% per year.
Poland ranks 149 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 80%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 5.58%, so Poland sits below it. It peaked in 2002 and has fallen 85% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 60%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 46 of 49 economies; Czechia (2.83%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 31% in 2007. That is 24% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 31st of 187 in 1991 → 29th of 187 in 2000 → 59th of 187 in 2010 → 160th of 187 in 2020 → 144th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.98% | +0.2 pp |
| 2024 | 2.81% | +0.1 pp |
| 2023 | 2.74% | -0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 2.81% | -0.5 pp |
| 2021 | 3.27% | +0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 3.16% | -0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 3.27% | -0.6 pp |
| 2018 | 3.84% | -1.0 pp |
| 2017 | 4.87% | -1.3 pp |
| 2016 | 6.14% | -1.3 pp |
| 2015 | 7.48% | -1.5 pp |
| 2014 | 8.97% | -1.3 pp |
| 2013 | 10.29% | +0.3 pp |
| 2012 | 10.03% | +0.5 pp |
| 2011 | 9.58% | -0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 9.58% | +1.4 pp |
| 2009 | 8.13% | +1.1 pp |
| 2008 | 7.07% | -2.5 pp |
| 2007 | 9.55% | -4.2 pp |
| 2006 | 13.79% | -3.8 pp |
| 2005 | 17.59% | -1.2 pp |
| 2004 | 18.82% | -1.1 pp |
| 2003 | 19.9% | -0.3 pp |
| 2002 | 20.21% | +1.8 pp |
| 2001 | 18.43% | +3.5 pp |
| 2000 | 14.93% | +2.6 pp |
| 1999 | 12.29% | +2.4 pp |
| 1998 | 9.94% | -1.0 pp |
| 1997 | 10.96% | -1.7 pp |
| 1996 | 12.68% | -1.0 pp |
| 1995 | 13.7% | -1.1 pp |
| 1994 | 14.83% | +0.4 pp |
| 1993 | 14.39% | +0.7 pp |
| 1992 | 13.65% | +0.0 pp |
| 1991 | 13.62% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Poland’s Unemployment in 1992?
13.65% (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 Poland’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -78.2% in total — about 4.4% 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: 2.98%; 2024: 2.81%; 2023: 2.74%; 2022: 2.81%; 2021: 3.27%. 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.