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Sweden — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Sweden, 1991–2025.
Latest value · 2025
8.69%
Unemployment Rate · % of total labor force · +168.1% since 1991
Unemployment for Sweden was 8.69% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 10.36% in 1997. The lowest was 3.24% in 1991 (about 2.7× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 2.94% per year.
Sweden ranks 48 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 26%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 5.58%, so Sweden sits above it. It peaked in 1997 and has fallen 16% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 17%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
8.69%
First (1991)
3.24%
Change
+168.1%
Highest
10.36%
in 1997
Lowest
3.24%
in 1991
Average
7.43%
Annual growth (CAGR)
2.94%
Years of data
35
Recent years
| Year | % of total labor force |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 8.69% |
| 2024 | 8.4% |
| 2023 | 7.61% |
| 2022 | 7.42% |
| 2021 | 8.8% |
| 2020 | 8.29% |
| 2019 | 6.83% |
| 2018 | 6.37% |
| 2017 | 6.72% |
| 2016 | 6.99% |
| 2015 | 7.43% |
| 2014 | 7.95% |
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.