Tanzania — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Tanzania, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Tanzania was 1.57% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 3.89% in 1993. The lowest was 1.56% in 2024 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -2.41% per year.
Tanzania ranks 176 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 94%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Tanzania sits below it. It peaked in 1993 and has fallen 60% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 22%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 44 of 47 economies; Chad (1.06%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was down 27% in 2014. That is 10% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 121st of 187 in 1991 → 155th of 187 in 2000 → 160th of 187 in 2010 → 176th of 187 in 2020 → 171st of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.57% | +0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 1.56% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 1.57% | -0.0 pp |
| 2022 | 1.57% | -0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 1.88% | +0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 1.79% | +0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 1.74% | -0.1 pp |
| 2018 | 1.79% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 1.85% | -0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 1.93% | -0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 2.01% | -0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 2.13% | -0.8 pp |
| 2013 | 2.93% | -0.3 pp |
| 2012 | 3.22% | -0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 3.47% | +0.4 pp |
| 2010 | 3.03% | +0.5 pp |
| 2009 | 2.5% | -0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 2.78% | -0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 3.02% | -0.3 pp |
| 2006 | 3.3% | +0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 3.19% | +0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 3.11% | +0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 3.05% | +0.0 pp |
| 2002 | 3.02% | +0.0 pp |
| 2001 | 2.99% | -0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 3.13% | -0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 3.22% | -0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 3.28% | -0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 3.34% | -0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 3.48% | -0.2 pp |
| 1995 | 3.67% | -0.2 pp |
| 1994 | 3.86% | -0.0 pp |
| 1993 | 3.89% | +0.2 pp |
| 1992 | 3.68% | +0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 3.6% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Tanzania’s Unemployment in 1992?
3.68% (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 Tanzania’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -56.3% in total — about 2.4% 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: 1.57%; 2024: 1.56%; 2023: 1.57%; 2022: 1.57%; 2021: 1.88%. 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.