Countries in South 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. 12 countries in South America, highest first. World Bank, 2025
Median country
6.5%
half above, half below| # | Country | % of labour force | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Guyana | 12.0% | South America |
| 2 |  Chile | 9.0% | South America |
| 3 |  Colombia | 8.3% | South America |
| 4 |  Suriname | 7.8% | South America |
| 5 |  Uruguay | 7.5% | South America |
| 6 |  Argentina | 7.1% | South America |
| 7 |  Brazil | 6.0% | South America |
| 8 |  Venezuela | 5.3% | South America |
| 9 |  Peru | 5.1% | South America |
| 10 |  Paraguay | 4.8% | South America |
| 11 |  Ecuador | 3.3% | South America |
| 12 |  Bolivia | 3.0% | South America |
Questions
- Which country in South America has the highest unemployment?
- Guyana has the highest unemployment in South America: 12.0% of the labour force (2025). Next come Chile (9.0% of the labour force) and Colombia (8.3% of the labour force).
- Which country in South America has the lowest unemployment?
- Bolivia, with 3.0% of the labour force (2025).
- What is the typical unemployment of a country in South America?
- The median of the 12 countries in South America is 6.5% 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.