Indicator
Unemployment rate
Proportion of unemployed people in the labor force, in the reference week.
- Unit
- % of the labor force
- Population
- PME: ages 10 and over, 6 metropolitan regions; Continuous PNAD: ages 14 and over, Brazil
- Territory
- See each series
- Frequency
- Annual
- Desirable direction
- Lower is better
Comparisons
The start and end points always come from the same series. The rule for choosing the years is given next to each comparison.
- 2003 → 2010: 12.4 → 6.7 % of the labor force (-5.7 percentage points).
Series: PME: average annual unemployment rate (6 metropolitan regions). Rule: First year of the PME series (2003) and last full year of the second term (2010). The annual PME does not have 2002 in this table. - 2022 → 2025: 9.6 → 5.6 % of the labor force (-4.0 percentage points).
Series: Continuous PNAD: annual unemployment rate (Brazil). Rule: Last year before the third term (2022) and last full year available, in the same series.
PME: average annual unemployment rate (6 metropolitan regions)
Annual average of the six PME metropolitan regions, people aged 10 and over. Series ended in 2015.
Methodology sheet (checked against the official metadata)
- Variable
- 2498: Average annual unemployment rate
- Unit in the source
- %
- Territory
- Total of PME areas: 6 metropolitan regions (N110)
- Population
- People aged 10 and over
- Frequency in the source
- annual (2003 to 2015)
- Annual value
- Average annual rate (according to the table name)
- Values
- rate
- Seasonal adjustment
- not applicable
- Revisions
- Series ended in 2015.
- Metadata
- official lookup (checked on 2026-10-14)
Table with all values (13 periods)
| Period | Value | Status | Term in office that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 12.4 | final | Lula 1 |
| 2004 | 11.5 | final | Lula 1 |
| 2005 | 9.9 | final | Lula 1 |
| 2006 | 10.0 | final | Lula 1 |
| 2007 | 9.3 | final | Lula 2 |
| 2008 | 7.9 | final | Lula 2 |
| 2009 | 8.1 | final | Lula 2 |
| 2010 | 6.7 | final | Lula 2 |
| 2011 | 6.0 | final | other government |
| 2012 | 5.5 | final | other government |
| 2013 | 5.4 | final | other government |
| 2014 | 4.8 | final | other government |
| 2015 | 6.8 | final | other government |
Download CSV · Original query (SIDRA 1168, variável 2498, N110)
Continuous PNAD: annual unemployment rate (Brazil)
Annual indicator of the Continuous PNAD (accumulation of first visits; fifth visits in 2020 to 2022), people aged 14 and over, Brazil. It is not the average of the four quarters.
Methodology sheet (checked against the official metadata)
- Variable
- 4099: Unemployment rate, in the reference week, of people aged 14 and over
- Unit in the source
- %
- Territory
- Brazil (N1)
- Population
- People aged 14 and over
- Frequency in the source
- annual (2012 to 2025)
- Annual value
- Annual indicator of the annual Continuous PNAD (not an average of quarters)
- Values
- rate
- Seasonal adjustment
- not applicable
- Revisions
- The reweighting of the Continuous PNAD released in 2025 changed the series (table note, pending verification in PDF).
- Metadata
- official lookup (checked on 2026-10-14)
Table with all values (14 periods)
| Period | Value | Status | Term in office that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 7.4 | final | other government |
| 2013 | 7.3 | final | other government |
| 2014 | 7.0 | final | other government |
| 2015 | 8.9 | final | other government |
| 2016 | 11.6 | final | other government |
| 2017 | 12.6 | final | other government |
| 2018 | 12.1 | final | other government |
| 2019 | 11.8 | final | other government |
| 2020 | 13.7 | final | other government |
| 2021 | 14.0 | final | other government |
| 2022 | 9.6 | final | other government |
| 2023 | 7.7 | final | Lula 3 |
| 2024 | 6.6 | final | Lula 3 |
| 2025 | 5.6 | final | Lula 3 |
Series breaks
pme-6-rms × pnadc-brasil: Different surveys (coverage, minimum age, and method). They are not spliced or compared in level.
According to an Ipea technical note of April 2014, the difference between the unemployment rates of the Continuous PNAD and the PME was always greater than 1.5 pp in the period 2012/1 to 2013/2.[2]
Context and interpretation
The Continuous PNAD was created to replace the PME and the annual PNAD, with national coverage.[1]
According to the PME (All areas), the average annual unemployment rate was 12.4% in 2003 and 6.7% in 2010.[3]
Sources and evidence
Excerpts are quoted in the original language of the source.
1. The Continuous PNAD was created to replace the PME and the annual PNAD, with national coverage.
- Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua (PNAD Contínua) – Divulgação dos primeiros resultados (nota de 9/12/2013) · IBGE: Directorate of Surveys Official statistics
Where: PDF p. 2. Accessed October 13, 2026.“A PNAD Contínua substituirá a Pesquisa Mensal de Emprego (PME) e a Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD), potencializando os resultados produzidos por ambas, agregando, em relação à primeira, a cobertura do território nacional”
- Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua (PNAD Contínua) – Divulgação dos primeiros resultados (nota de 9/12/2013) · IBGE: Directorate of Surveys Official statistics
2. According to an Ipea technical note of April 2014, the difference between the unemployment rates of the Continuous PNAD and the PME was always greater than 1.5 pp in the period 2012/1 to 2013/2.
- Sobre a comparação da taxa de desocupação na PNAD Contínua e na PME (Nota Técnica Disoc nº 18) · Ipea: Carlos Henrique Corseuil and Lauro Ramos Academic study
Where: PDF p. 3. Accessed October 13, 2026.“Chama a atenção a diferença sempre superior a 1,5 pp entre as taxas de desemprego da PNAD contínua e da PME.”
- Sobre a comparação da taxa de desocupação na PNAD Contínua e na PME (Nota Técnica Disoc nº 18) · Ipea: Carlos Henrique Corseuil and Lauro Ramos Academic study
3. According to the PME (All areas), the average annual unemployment rate was 12.4% in 2003 and 6.7% in 2010.
- SIDRA tabela 1168: taxa média anual de desocupação (PME) · IBGE Official statistics
Where: table 1168, variable 2498, N110 All areas. Accessed October 13, 2026.“{'2003': '12.4', '2004': '11.5', '2005': '9.9', '2006': '10.0', '2007': '9.3', '2008': '7.9', '2009': '8.1', '2010': '6.7', ...}”
- SIDRA Tabela 1168 – notas da tabela · IBGE Official statistics
Where: Table notes. Accessed October 13, 2026.“1 - Média das taxas observadas nas Regiões Metropolitanas.2 - Dados referentes a 10 anos ou mais de idade. Fonte: IBGE, Pesquisa Mensal de Emprego.”
- SIDRA tabela 1168: taxa média anual de desocupação (PME) · IBGE Official statistics