Unemployment rate (modelled ILO estimate) in South America

12 countries in South America, 2025. Unit: % of labour force. World ranking →

First in the ranking
3.0 %
Bolivia
Median country
6.6 %
half above, half below
World
4.8 %
World Bank aggregate
Range
3.0 to 12.0
Bolivia - Guyana

How to read it

Across 12 countries in South America, the highest value is in Guyana (12.0 %) and the lowest in Bolivia (3.0 %).

The median country is at 6.6 %: half are above, half below.

Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.

Compare selected countries · on the world map

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external… · via World Bank WDI (SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS) · licence

Unemployment over time

%

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Ranking of countries

2025
In chart Share of the highest value
1Bolivia3.0
2Ecuador3.3
3Paraguay4.8
4Peru5.1
5Venezuela5.3
6Brazil6.0
7Argentina7.1
8Uruguay7.5
9Suriname7.8
10Colombia8.3
11Chile9.0
12Guyana12.0
World Bank, WDI · SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS · 2025 · CC BY 4.0 Source and licence

Tick a country in the table to add it to the chart above, up to six at a time. The ranking uses the latest year for which at least half of the countries have a value; countries without a value that year are not listed.