Countries in North America by unemployment
People without work who are looking for it, as a share of the labour force, as modelled by the International Labour Organization so countries can be compared. 19 countries in North America, highest first. World Bank, 2025
Median country
5.1%
half above, half below| # | Country | % of labour force | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 18.0% | Caribbean |
| 2 |  Haiti | 14.9% | Caribbean |
| 3 |  Saint Lucia | 9.5% | Caribbean |
| 4 |  Bahamas | 9.2% | Caribbean |
| 5 |  Belize | 8.9% | Central America |
| 6 |  Panama | 8.4% | Central America |
| 7 |  Canada | 6.9% | Northern America |
| 8 |  Costa Rica | 6.8% | Central America |
| 9 |  Barbados | 6.5% | Caribbean |
| 10 |  Dominican Republic | 5.1% | Caribbean |
| 11 |  Nicaragua | 5.0% | Central America |
| 12 |  Honduras | 4.9% | Central America |
| 13 |  United States | 4.2% | Northern America |
| =14 |  El Salvador | 3.3% | Central America |
| =14 |  Jamaica | 3.3% | Caribbean |
| =14 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 3.3% | Caribbean |
| 17 |  Mexico | 2.7% | Central America |
| 18 |  Guatemala | 2.6% | Central America |
| 19 |  Cuba | 1.7% | Caribbean |
No World Bank figure for 4 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Territories and other places
Not ranked: dependencies of the states above, places whose status is disputed. Highest first.
| Place | % of labour force | Status |
|---|---|---|
 US Virgin Islands | 11.4% | Territory of United States of America |
 Puerto Rico | 6.0% | Territory of United States of America |
Questions
- Which country in North America has the highest unemployment?
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has the highest unemployment in North America: 18.0% of the labour force (2025). Next come Haiti (14.9% of the labour force) and Saint Lucia (9.5% of the labour force).
- Which country in North America has the lowest unemployment?
- Cuba, with 1.7% of the labour force (2025).
- What is the typical unemployment of a country in North America?
- The median of the 19 countries in North America is 5.1% of the labour force: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
- Where do the figures come from?
- People without work who are looking for it, as a share of the labour force, as modelled by the International Labour Organization so countries can be compared. Source: World Bank, 2025. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.
Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.