Unemployment rate in Russia by year: statistics from 2000 and charts
· Labour resources, employment and unemployment
The unemployment rate in Russia in 2025 was 2.2%. This is a historical low for the entire period of observation: in 2000 the figure was 10.6%, and in the crisis year of 2009 it rose to 8.3%. Rosstat figures, population aged 15-72, ILO methodology.
Below is the full series by year, an analysis of why the record-low figure looks suspiciously even, and the regional picture, in which the difference between the best and worst constituent entity reaches 32 times.
Unemployment in Russia by year: table
| Year | Unemployment | Year | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 10.6% | 2013 | 5.5% |
| 2001 | 9.0% | 2014 | 5.2% |
| 2002 | 7.9% | 2015 | 5.6% |
| 2003 | 8.2% | 2016 | 5.5% |
| 2004 | 7.8% | 2017 | 5.2% |
| 2005 | 7.1% | 2018 | 4.8% |
| 2006 | 7.1% | 2019 | 4.6% |
| 2007 | 6.0% | 2020 | 5.8% |
| 2008 | 6.2% | 2021 | 4.8% |
| 2009 | 8.3% | 2023 | 3.2% |
| 2010 | 7.3% | 2024 | 2.5% |
| 2011 | 6.5% | 2025 | 2.2% |
| 2012 | 5.5% |
The year 2022 is not in the table, and this is not a typo. In the Rosstat publication mirrored by this site, the row for this year is missing, and we did not add it.
The full series broken down by all 85 constituent entities is available on the interactive unemployment rate chart: there you can select any region and hover the cursor over a specific year.
The series is read in three segments. From 2000 to 2008, unemployment decreased from 10.6% to 6.2%, then the crisis pushed it back to 8.3%. Then ten years of slow decline to 4.6% in 2019, a short jump in the COVID year of 2020 to 5.8%, and the collapse of recent years: 4.8% in 2021, 3.2% in 2023, 2.2% in 2025.
How Rosstat calculates unemployment
According to the International Labour Organization methodology, an unemployed person is someone who simultaneously meets three conditions: they did not have a job during the surveyed week, they were looking for one during the previous month, and they are ready to start within the next week. If any one of these three is not met, the person is excluded from the numerator.
Data is taken from a sample labor force survey, not from employment service reports. Therefore, Rosstat's official unemployment is always noticeably higher than the number of registered unemployed: far from everyone looking for work goes to the employment office.
Age coverage is also important. The indicator is calculated for the population aged 15-72, and the denominator here is the labor force, that is, the employed plus the unemployed, rather than the entire population of the country.
Why 2.2% is not the same as "everyone has a job"
Low unemployment in 2023-2025 is primarily explained by the fact that the labor force has physically shrunk. The country simultaneously faced the small generation of the nineties entering the labor market and the large generation of the sixties retiring.
The second factor is purely methodological. A person who has stopped looking for work is removed from the number of unemployed: they are neither employed nor unemployed, which means they are also removed from the denominator. With a shrinking labor force, the indicator falls even without a single new job.
A third plot is visible in regional statistics: where unemployment is traditionally high, it is decreasing the fastest. The Chechen Republic went from 67.7% in 2006 to 6.7% in 2025, and the Republic of Tyva from 23.6% in 2000 to 4.8%. Such trajectories are usually driven by new jobs, the outflow of people, and changes in how the population answers survey questions, in an unknown proportion.
Unemployment by Russian regions
The gap between constituent entities remains enormous even with the Russian average of 2.2%.
| Region | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Moscow | 0.8% |
| Kaluga Oblast | 1.0% |
| Novgorod Oblast | 1.0% |
| Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug | 1.0% |
| Nizhny Novgorod Oblast | 1.1% |
| ... | ... |
| Karachay-Cherkess Republic | 6.2% |
| Chechen Republic | 6.7% |
| Republic of North Ossetia-Alania | 7.0% |
| Republic of Dagestan | 10.9% |
| Republic of Ingushetia | 25.5% |
There is a 32-fold difference between Moscow and Ingushetia. Moreover, Ingushetia has held the top spot by a wide margin throughout the entire series: in 2005, it recorded 63.1%.
By federal district, the picture is more even, except for one:
| District | 2000 | 2019 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central | 7.8% | 2.9% | 1.5% |
| Northwestern | 9.6% | 3.5% | 2.0% |
| Southern | 12.9% | 5.3% | 2.1% |
| North Caucasian | 20.4% | 11.0% | 7.6% |
| Volga | 9.8% | 4.2% | 1.6% |
| Ural | 10.1% | 4.3% | 1.5% |
| Siberian | 12.4% | 5.9% | 2.8% |
| Far Eastern | 13.5% | 6.0% | 2.4% |
The North Caucasian District lags behind the others by approximately a quarter of a century: its current 7.6% was passed by the seven other districts before 2010.
You can compare any two regions with each other on the chart by constituent entity, which contains 96 series, including districts and Russia as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the unemployment rate in Russia in 2025?
2.2% according to the ILO methodology for the population aged 15-72. This is the lowest level in the entire history of Rosstat observations.
In which year was unemployment in Russia the highest?
From the available series starting in 2000, the maximum occurred in 2000: 10.6%. In the nineties, the figure was higher, but in this Rosstat table, the series begins in 2000.
How does Rosstat unemployment differ from employment service data?
Rosstat calculates it based on a labor force survey: a person becomes unemployed by the fact of seeking work, regardless of whether they have contacted an employment center. Registered unemployment is calculated based on the number of people who have registered and is always several times lower.
Which region has the highest unemployment?
In the Republic of Ingushetia: 25.5% in 2025. This is followed by the Republic of Dagestan with 10.9%. The lowest figure is in Moscow, 0.8%.
Why is unemployment falling while it is difficult to find workers?
These are two sides of the same process. The labor force is shrinking due to demographic reasons, which is why the unemployment rate is decreasing and employer competition for employees is growing. This is indirectly visible in the wage dynamics, which grew faster than prices in 2022-2025.
Is underemployment taken into account in the statistics?
No. A person who worked at least one hour during the surveyed week is considered employed. Downtime, part-time work, and forced leave are not included in the unemployment rate.
In brief
The unemployment rate in Russia decreased from 10.6% in 2000 to 2.2% in 2025, with two spikes: 8.3% in 2009 and 5.8% in 2020. The record-low figure is largely explained by the contraction of the labor force, rather than explosive growth in the number of jobs. The regional disparity remains thirtyfold: 0.8% in Moscow versus 25.5% in Ingushetia, and the North Caucasus lives at approximately the 2008 level in terms of this indicator.
All series are taken from open Rosstat publications and are updated on the website as new data is released.
See also
- Average salary in Russia by year, what the personnel shortage leads to
- Inflation in Russia by year, what to compare income growth with