Canada unemployment rate history

Change history

Histories

Canada inflation rate history Canada consumer price index history Canada unemployment rate history Canada labour force participation rate history Canada GDP growth rate history Canada GDP history Canada exports history Canada imports history Canada trade balance history Australia unemployment rate history United Kingdom unemployment rate history Japan unemployment rate history United States unemployment rate history

Canada unemployment rate history: choose a year or date to look up past values. Preview the observations and download your selection.

6.5%September 2026Latest published observation

Back to the series and chart →

History starts: January 1976
History ends: September 2026
Frequency: Monthly observations
Unit: Percent

Download history

Preview

12 observations · January 2023 to December 2023

Selected historical observations
Date or period	Value · Percent	Source
January 2023	5.1%	Statistics Canada
February 2023	5.2%	Statistics Canada
March 2023	5.1%	Statistics Canada
April 2023	5.1%	Statistics Canada
May 2023	5.2%	Statistics Canada
June 2023	5.4%	Statistics Canada
July 2023	5.4%	Statistics Canada
August 2023	5.4%	Statistics Canada
September 2023	5.5%	Statistics Canada
October 2023	5.7%	Statistics Canada
November 2023	5.8%	Statistics Canada
December 2023	5.8%	Statistics Canada

Canada unemployment rate history by year

Full history →

Canada unemployment rate history by year
Year	Average	High	Low	Change
2026 (to date)	6.6%	6.9%April 2026	6.4%July 2026	0.0
2025	6.9%	7.1%August 2025	6.6%February 2025	▲ +0.1
2024	6.4%	7.0%November 2024	5.7%January 2024	▲ +1.0
2023	5.4%	5.8%November 2023	5.1%January 2023	▲ +0.7
2022	5.3%	6.4%January 2022	4.8%July 2022	▼ −1.4
2021	7.5%	9.2%January 2021	5.9%December 2021	▼ −3.3
2020	9.7%	14.2%May 2020	5.5%January 2020	▲ +3.4
2019	5.7%	5.9%November 2019	5.5%May 2019	▼ −0.1
2018	5.8%	6.0%February 2018	5.6%October 2018	▼ −0.3
2017	6.4%	6.9%January 2017	6.0%December 2017	▼ −0.9
2016	7.1%	7.3%February 2016	6.8%November 2016	▼ −0.3
2015	7.0%	7.3%December 2015	6.8%January 2015	▲ +0.5
2014	7.1%	7.3%January 2014	6.7%December 2014	▼ −0.6
2013	7.2%	7.4%December 2013	7.1%January 2013	▲ +0.3
2012	7.4%	7.7%January 2012	7.3%July 2012	▼ −0.4
2011	7.6%	7.8%January 2011	7.4%July 2011	▼ −0.3
2010	8.2%	8.4%January 2010	7.8%December 2010	▼ −0.6
2009	8.5%	8.8%June 2009	7.5%January 2009	▲ +1.1
2008	6.3%	7.0%December 2008	6.1%January 2008	▲ +0.9
2007	6.2%	6.4%January 2007	6.0%July 2007	▼ −0.2

Show all

Canada unemployment rate history by year
Year	Average	High	Low	Change
2006	6.4%	6.7%January 2006	6.2%May 2006	▼ −0.4
2005	6.8%	7.0%February 2005	6.3%November 2005	▼ −0.3
2004	7.1%	7.3%January 2004	6.9%September 2004	▼ −0.2
2003	7.6%	7.9%September 2003	7.3%December 2003	▼ −0.2
2002	7.7%	8.0%January 2002	7.4%August 2002	▼ −0.4
2001	7.2%	8.1%December 2001	6.9%January 2001	▲ +1.2
2000	6.8%	7.0%August 2000	6.6%May 2000	0.0
1999	7.6%	8.2%April 1999	6.8%December 1999	▼ −1.1
1998	8.3%	8.8%January 1998	8.0%October 1998	▼ −0.7
1997	9.1%	9.5%January 1997	8.5%December 1997	▼ −1.0
1996	9.6%	9.9%September 1996	9.2%May 1996	▲ +0.3
1995	9.5%	9.7%March 1995	9.2%September 1995	▼ −0.2
1994	10.4%	11.4%January 1994	9.6%December 1994	▼ −1.8
1993	11.4%	11.7%June 1993	11.0%February 1993	▲ +0.2
1992	11.2%	12.1%November 1992	10.4%January 1992	▲ +1.3
1991	10.3%	10.5%March 1991	9.8%January 1991	▲ +0.5
1990	8.2%	9.5%December 1990	7.3%March 1990	▲ +1.6
1989	7.5%	7.8%April 1989	7.2%October 1989	▲ +0.2
1988	7.8%	8.1%January 1988	7.5%December 1988	▼ −0.6
1987	8.8%	9.5%January 1987	8.0%December 1987	▼ −1.5
1986	9.6%	9.9%February 1986	9.4%October 1986	▼ −0.3
1985	10.5%	11.0%March 1985	10.1%December 1985	▼ −0.5
1984	11.4%	11.8%September 1984	11.1%December 1984	▼ −0.2
1983	12.0%	12.7%January 1983	11.3%October 1983	▼ −1.4
1982	11.1%	13.1%December 1982	8.6%January 1982	▲ +4.5
1981	7.6%	8.7%December 1981	7.1%April 1981	▲ +1.3
1980	7.5%	7.8%May 1980	7.2%November 1980	▼ −0.2
1979	7.5%	8.2%January 1979	7.0%September 1979	▼ −1.0
1978	8.4%	8.6%May 1978	8.2%October 1978	0.0
1977	8.1%	8.5%November 1977	7.6%January 1977	▲ +0.9
1976	7.1%	7.5%December 1976	6.7%March 1976	▲ +0.4

How to read this

Rows keep their published observation periods. A date selects the observation whose period includes it. Monthly and quarterly figures are not daily prices. Missing periods stay missing. The CSV keeps the period and its end date.

API

GET /v1/economics/CAN/unemployment/observations

Request published observations and follow next_cursor to read every page. Select the unemployment measure.

Get an API key

Canada inflation rate historyChoose a year or dateView history →Canada consumer price index historyChoose a year or dateView history →Canada labour force participation rate historyChoose a year or dateView history →Canada GDP growth rate historyChoose a year or dateView history →

Common questions

What does the download contain?

The CSV contains the selected published observations, their dates, values, units and source. Values are in Percent.

Why are some dates missing?

This series follows its publication frequency. Gaps are left empty, and no daily values are invented between observations.

Source: Statistics Canada; API reference →
Series: Canada unemployment rate history; View chart →