Top 10 Countries with Highest Unemployment Rates

Without a doubt, the Philippines suffers from unemployment. Thousands of new graduates every year find it hard to land a job while some who have already graduated years ago are still looking for one.

The unemployed would rant and complain about their predicament but, apparently, the Philippines still has reasons not to worry too much. Filipinos, it appears, are comparably better off than the citizens of some countries who have been experiencing tremendously high unemployment rates during the past few years.

Take, for instance, Zimbabwe. As of 2009, the country’s unemployment rate is 97%. This figure means only three (3) out of 100 individuals looking for a job are able to get one. Even developed countries are not spared. European bigwigs such as Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy, for example, have higher unemployment rates than the Philippines.

The table below summarizes the top 10 countries with the highest unemployment rates in the world during the past 5 years.

Top 10 Highest Unemployment Rates in the World

Rank	Country	Unemployment Rate (%)	Data as of
1	Zimbabwe	97.0	2009
2	Turkmenistan	70.0	2008 (November)
3	Tajikistan	60.0	2008 (August)
4	Mozambique	60.0	2009
5	Djibouti	59.0	2007
-	Guam (United States)	56.0	2010
6	Namibia	51.2	2008
7	Senegal	48.0	2007
8	Nepal	46.0	2008
9	Swaziland	40.6	2007
10	Kenya	40.0	2009

Unemployment, as defined by the International Labor Organization, refers to the scenario when citizens are out of jobs but have been actively looking for work during the past month. The unemployment rate is the percentage of unemployed individuals compared to the total individuals currently in the work force.

Of course, countries may have varying definitions of “unemployment” but the figures shown in the table below were taken from the official announcements of their national governments and compiled by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The Philippines has the highest unemployment rate in Southeast Asia, but its employment data is still better compared to the percentages of African and even most European countries. Out of 165 countries around the world, the Philippines is ranked 104th.

Unemployment Rates — Southeast Asia

Overall Rank	Country	Unemployment Rate (%)	Data as of
104	Philippines	7.20	2011 (April)
105	Indonesia	7.14	2010 (February)
140	Brunei	3.70	2008
146	Malaysia	3.20	2010 (April)
152	Vietnam	2.90	2009 (April)
154	Laos	2.50	2009
155	Singapore	1.90	2011 (March)
157	Cambodia	1.68	2008
162	Thailand	1.20	2009 (September)

Unemployment Rates — North and Central America

Overall Rank	Country	Unemployment Rate (%)	Data as of
-	Guam (US)	56.0	2010 (August)
-	American Samoa (US)	23.8	2010
-	Puerto Rico (US)	16.0	2011 (June)
50	Belize	12.6	2009 (September)
69	Barbados	9.4	2010
77	United States	9.0	2011 (October)
-	U.S. Virgin Islands (US)	7.9	2010 (April)
88	Costa Rica	7.8	2009 (October)
103	Canada	7.2	2011 (July)
106	Panama	7.1	2009
122	Trinidad and Tobago	5.8	2009
124	Mexico	5.5	2010 (April)

Unemployment Rates — Europe

Overall Rank	Country	Unemployment Rate (%)	Data as of
26	Spain	21.5	2011 (October)
30	Greece	18.4	2011 (August)
42	Ireland	14.0	2011 (May)
51	Portugal	12.4	2011 (May)
68	France	9.5	2011 (May)
73	Poland	9.2	2011 (May)
81	Slovenia	8.3	2011 (May)
84	Italy	8.1	2011 (May)
90	Finland	7.8	2011 (May)
93	Sweden	7.7	2011 (May)
94	Iceland	7.6	2010 (June)
95	United Kingdom	7.6	2011 (March)
98	Denmark	7.4	2011 (May)
99	Cyprus	7.4	2011 (May)
100	Belgium	7.3	2011 (May)
108	Romania	7.0	2011 (March)
121	Germany	5.8	2011 (September)
132	Luxembourg	4.5	2011 (May)
134	Austria	4.3	2011 (May)
135	Netherlands	4.2	2011 (May)
145	Norway	3.4	2011 (April)
151	Switzerland	2.9	2010 (June)

Unemployment Rates — Africa

Overall Rank	Country	Unemployment Rate (%)	Data as of
1	Zimbabwe	97.0	2009
4	Mozambique	60.0	2009
5	Djibouti	59.0	2007
6	Namibia	51.2	2008
7	Senegal	48.0	2007
9	Swaziland	40.6	2007
10	Kenya	40.0	2009
18	Mauritania	30.0	2008
22	South Africa	25.0	2011
27	Gabon	21.0	2006
45	Tunisia	13.3	2009
67	Algeria	10.0	2010 (September)
80	Mauritius	8.4	2010
97	Botswana	7.5	2007
142	Ghana	3.6	2008 (September)

Note: Countries whose unemployment figures refer to years earlier than 2006 were not included in the list.
Source: CIA World Factbook

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