Countries in Oceania 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. 8 countries in Oceania, highest first. World Bank, 2025
Median country
4.5%
half above, half below| # | Country | % of labour force | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Fiji | 5.3% | Melanesia |
| =2 |  New Zealand | 5.1% | Australia and New Zealand |
| =2 |  Vanuatu | 5.1% | Melanesia |
| 4 |  Samoa | 5.0% | Polynesia |
| 5 |  Australia | 4.1% | Australia and New Zealand |
| 6 |  Papua New Guinea | 2.6% | Melanesia |
| 7 |  Tonga | 2.0% | Polynesia |
| 8 |  Solomon Islands | 1.4% | Melanesia |
No World Bank figure for 5 countries: Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau.
Territories and other places
Not ranked: dependencies of the states above, places whose status is disputed. Highest first.
| Place | % of labour force | Status |
|---|---|---|
 French Polynesia | 11.7% | Territory of France |
 New Caledonia | 11.2% | Territory of France |
 Guam | 5.6% | Territory of United States of America |
Questions
- Which country in Oceania has the highest unemployment?
- Fiji has the highest unemployment in Oceania: 5.3% of the labour force (2025). Next come New Zealand (5.1% of the labour force) and Vanuatu (5.1% of the labour force).
- Which country in Oceania has the lowest unemployment?
- The Solomon Islands, with 1.4% of the labour force (2025).
- What is the typical unemployment of a country in Oceania?
- The median of the 8 countries in Oceania is 4.5% 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.