Work

Lowest Unemployment Countries

The lowest unemployment rates among 50 major economies — a first read on how tight the labour market is.

What this ranking measures

The share of the labour force actively looking for work, mostly ILO-modelled estimates, across the 50 major economies Richbay tracks — not a world ranking. It counts people still searching, so it drops when they stop; and where most workers hold employer-tied residence permits, a contract ending usually means leaving the country rather than joining the unemployed, which is a large part of why Gulf states sit at the top. It says nothing about pay, job quality, or whether the market is open to foreigners.

  1. 1

    Qatar

    Unemployment
    0.1% (2025)
  2. 2

    Thailand

    Unemployment
    0.8% (2025)
  3. 3

    Bahrain

    Unemployment
    1.1% (2025)
  4. 4

    Vietnam

    Unemployment
    1.5% (2025)
  5. 5

    United Arab Emirates

    Unemployment
    2.2% (2025)
  6. 6

    Kuwait

    Unemployment
    2.2% (2025)
  7. 7

    Philippines

    Unemployment
    2.2% (2025)
  8. 8

    Japan

    Unemployment
    2.5% (2025)
  9. 9

    Mexico

    Unemployment
    2.7% (2025)
  10. 10

    South Korea

    Unemployment
    2.7% (2025)
  11. 11

    Hong Kong

    Unemployment
    2.8% (2025)
  12. 12

    Singapore

    Unemployment
    2.8% (2025)
  13. 13

    Czechia

    Unemployment
    2.8% (2025)
  14. 14

    Poland

    Unemployment
    3.0% (2025)
  15. 15

    Saudi Arabia

    Unemployment
    3.0% (2025)

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