What is the current world unemployment rate?

The World Unemployment Rate is 4.79% as of January 1, 2025, sourced from World Bank (SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS).

Where does the world unemployment data come from?

Data is pulled from World Bank (SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS) (https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS). CalcFi caches the latest reading and historical series on an annual cadence.

How often is the world unemployment updated?

Update cadence: annual. The freshness pill at the top of the page shows the exact "as of" timestamp for the latest cached value.

What unit is the world unemployment reported in?

Values are reported in percent (annualized where applicable). The chart and historical table use the same unit.

Can I download World Unemployment data?

Yes. The full historical series is available as JSON at https://calcfi.app/api/data/world-unemployment and as CSV at https://calcfi.app/api/data/world-unemployment/history.csv. Both are CC BY 4.0.

Is World Unemployment Rate data free to use?

Yes. CalcFi-distributed data is licensed CC BY 4.0 (attribution required). Upstream public-source data (FRED, BLS, Census) remains in its original license.

How accurate is the world unemployment on this page?

Values mirror the upstream World Bank (SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS) feed at fetch time. Brief upstream revisions can cause small discrepancies between the live source and CalcFi's cache; the freshness pill flags stale data.

Which calculators use world unemployment?

Use the World Unemployment alongside our calculators hub to model decisions sensitive to this rate.

Does this data replace financial advice?

No. World Unemployment Rate data is published for educational reference. It is not personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. For decisions with material consequences, consult a licensed professional.

World Unemployment Rate 2026 — 4.79% (Jan 1, 2025) | Free Data

World Unemployment RateLive· 0m ago

4.79%

As of January 1, 2025

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Historical chart

Where today sits in history

At 4.79%, the current world unemployment sits in the 0th percentile of the last decade — near the low end of its 10-year range.

About this data

Global unemployment rate as a percentage of total labor force, modeled ILO estimate. Aggregated across all World Bank member countries. Useful for benchmarking US unemployment against global labor market conditions.

Data sourced directly from World Bank (SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS). Updated annual. Published by CalcFi Editorial. See our methodology.

CalcFi publishes publicly available government economic data. We do not provide financial advice. Consult a licensed advisor before making financial decisions.

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