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South Sudan — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for South Sudan, 1991–2023.
Latest value · 2023
12.37%
Unemployment Rate · % of total labor force · +0.3% since 1991
Unemployment for South Sudan was 12.37% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 33 years, from 1991 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 14.25% in 2020. The lowest was 12.07% in 1997 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.01% per year.
South Sudan ranks 23 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 12%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so South Sudan sits above it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 13% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved down 2%.
Key figures
Latest (2023)
12.37%
First (1991)
12.33%
Change
+0.3%
Highest
14.25%
in 2020
Lowest
12.07%
in 1997
Average
12.52%
Annual growth (CAGR)
0.01%
Years of data
33
Recent years
| Year | % of total labor force |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 12.37% |
| 2022 | 12.48% |
| 2021 | 13.95% |
| 2020 | 14.25% |
| 2019 | 12.66% |
| 2018 | 12.85% |
| 2017 | 12.98% |
| 2016 | 12.85% |
| 2015 | 12.46% |
| 2014 | 12.56% |
| 2013 | 12.67% |
| 2012 | 12.8% |
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.