Youth Unemployment Rate in Spain increased to 25 percent in September from 24.90 percent in August of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Spain Youth Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In 2024, the youth unemployment rate in Spain was 27.01 percent. Between 1991 and 2024, the figure dropped by 3.67 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

View monthly updates and historical trends for Spain Youth Unemployment Rate. Source: Eurostat. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, the unemployment rate of females aged between 20 and 24 was approximately 24 percent, which was lower than the unemployment rate (26.65 percent) for males in the same age category. The highest unemployment rate was reached in the first quarter of 2014, when it reached over 50 percent for both genders. In total figures, such rates implied that over 362,000 thousand professionals aged between 20 and 24 were unemployed as of the last quarter of 2023. A persistent problem There is a striking contrast in the employability of professionals depending on age. By far, young Spaniards struggle the most to find a job. Over 42 percent of those aged 16 to 19 did not have a job in 2023. The unemployment rate for Spaniards aged 20 to 24 was 26 percent, and for the age group 25 to 29, the unemployment rate was 15.6 percent. However, the unemployment rate hovers at about 11 percent for older professionals whose age ranges between 40 and 64. These figures speak volumes of a persistent problem in Spain: high levels of structural unemployment. This issue is particularly evident in the country’s south. For instance, the unemployment rate in Andalusia stood at 19 percent in the last quarter of 2023. Youth employment in Europe Youth unemployment is most prevalent in Southern Europe; Spain, Greece and Italy are some of the EU countries with the highest unemployment rates. In these three countries, the rate was over eight percentage points higher than the average in the Euro area in 2023. On the other end of the spectrum, Germany, the Netherlands and Czechia had unemployment rates of less than 10 percent in that year. Nevertheless, the repercussions of the COVID-19 on the job market have been less devastating than the financial crisis of 2008. In countries that were badly affected by the financial crisis, unemployment among young professionals skyrocketed in the early 2010s. In Greece, unemployment of young professionals was over 50 percent from 2012 to 2014.

Spain - Youth unemployment rate was 26.50% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Spain - Youth unemployment rate - last updated from the EUROSTAT on November of 2025. Historically, Spain - Youth unemployment rate reached a record high of 55.50% in December of 2013 and a record low of 17.90% in December of 2006.

The statistic shows the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate in EU member states as of July 2025. The source defines youth unemployment as unemployment of those younger than 25 years. In July 2025, the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate in Spain was at 26.6 percent. Youth unemployment rate in EU member states Unemployment is a crucial economic factor for a country; youth unemployment is often examined separately because it tends to be higher than unemployment in older age groups. It comprises the unemployment figures of a country’s labor force aged 15 to 24 years old (i.e. the earliest point at which mandatory school education ends). Typically, teenagers and those in their twenties who are fresh out of education do not find jobs right away, especially if the country’s economy is experiencing difficulties, as can be seen above. Additionally, it also tends to be higher in emerging markets than in industrialized nations. Worldwide, youth unemployment figures have not changed significantly over the last decade, nor are they expected to improve in the next few years. Youth unemployment is most prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa, even though these regions report high unemployment figures regardless (Zimbabwe and Turkmenistan are among the countries with the highest unemployment rates in the world, for example), and are also highly populated areas with a rather weak infrastructure, compared to industrialized regions. In the European Union and the euro area, unemployment in general has been on the rise since 2008, which is due to the economic crisis which caused bankruptcy and financial trouble for many employers, and thus led to considerable job loss, less job offerings, and consequently, to a rise of the unemployment rate. Older workers are struggling to find new jobs despite their experience, and young graduates are struggling to find new jobs, because they have none. All in all, the number of unemployed persons worldwide is projected to rise, this is not down to the economic crisis alone, but also the industrial automation of processes previously performed by workers, as well as rising population figures.

Graph and download economic data for Youth Unemployment Rate for Spain (SLUEM1524ZSESP) from 1991 to 2024 about Spain, 15 to 24 years, unemployment, and rate.

At a rate of 10.29 percent in the second quarter of 2025, Spain was one of the countries with the highest unemployment rates in the European Union. As of the third quarter of 2005, the unemployment rate in Spain was at roughly 8.4 percent, the lowest recorded in the period under consideration. However, a few years later, by the third quarter of 2009, it had more than doubled. It was not until 2016 that Spain witnessed a downward trend in its unemployment rate. Unemployment in Spain The age group with the highest distribution of unemployment is that of teenagers (16 to 19 years). Recent quarterly unemployment figures in Spain show that unemployment peaked in the first quarter of 2013, whereby there were approximately 6.28 million inhabitants unemployed, by the same quarter in 2024, unemployment had decreased by over 3 million. This trend is also reflected in the number of people in employment in Spain. The situation in the European Union Spain was the European country with the highest unemployment rate in November 2024, with nearly 11.2 percent of the labor force out of work. This figure is considerably higher than that of the rest of the European Union, which had an average unemployment rate of six percent as of the same period. In terms of youth unemployment, figures in the European Union reached 14 percent in July 2025, although the numbers varies greatly across the countries. While Estonia and Spain topped the list at a youth unemployment rate of 27 percent and 26.6 percent, Germany was at the bottom of the list with just 6.3 percent of its youth out of a job.

After the 2008 financial crisis, many Spaniards lost their jobs and the Mediterranean country was left with one of the highest unemployment rates in the European Union. In recent years, at least until the economic crisis provoked by the COVID-19, everything pointed at a slow but sure recovery of the job market in Spain, although the unemployment rate among the younger age groups remained still quite high. In fact, over ** percent of those aged 16-19 did not have a job between 2020 and 2022. This figure goes down to approximately **** percent in ages 20-24 and 15.58 for 25 to 29-year-olds. In stark contrast, youth unemployment figures in the European Union reached **** percent in June 2024. The unemployed rate for under 25s was the highest in Spain, followed by Greece and Italy, all the three Mediterranean countries featuring rates of over ** percent in the younger workforce groups. An ongoing and tough recoverySpanish unemployment rate skyrocketed in 2008, jumping from * percent in the first quarter that year up to ***** percent during the same quarter a year after. The Spanish unemployment crisis hit hardest in 2013, when a record high of ** percent of the population did not have a job. In numbers, that share translates into 6.3 million professionals in 2013 left out of the workforce. The job market initiated a recovery thereafter, making moderate and laborious progress and reducing the numbers to approximately *** million unemployed workers in the first quarter of 2023. The impact of the coronavirus on the Spanish economy caused the unemployment rate to surge again throughout 2020, but still remained far from the figures reached after the financial crisis. The unemployment situation in the European Union Spain was the European country with the highest unemployment rate in August 2023, with **** percent of the labor force out of work. The unemployment rate in Greece, in second place, stood at a rate of **** percent in that timeframe, which is still considerably higher than that of the rest of the European Union.

Spain - Youth unemployment rate (15-24) was 9.00% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Spain - Youth unemployment rate (15-24) - last updated from the EUROSTAT on October of 2025. Historically, Spain - Youth unemployment rate (15-24) reached a record high of 21.00% in December of 2013 and a record low of 9.00% in December of 2024.

Spain - Youth employment rate, age group 20-29 was 56.90% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Spain - Youth employment rate, age group 20-29 - last updated from the EUROSTAT on December of 2025. Historically, Spain - Youth employment rate, age group 20-29 reached a record high of 69.40% in December of 2007 and a record low of 44.60% in December of 2013.

Historical dataset showing Spain youth unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

Spain - Youth unemployment rate: Females was 27.10% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Spain - Youth unemployment rate: Females - last updated from the EUROSTAT on December of 2025. Historically, Spain - Youth unemployment rate: Females reached a record high of 54.60% in December of 2013 and a record low of 27.10% in December of 2024.

Spain - Youth unemployment rate: Males was 26.00% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Spain - Youth unemployment rate: Males - last updated from the EUROSTAT on December of 2025. Historically, Spain - Youth unemployment rate: Males reached a record high of 56.20% in December of 2013 and a record low of 26.00% in December of 2024.

The unemployment rate in Spain was highest in the southern regions as of the second quarter of 2025. During the period under consideration, the autonomous city of Melilla registered Spain's highest unemployment rate at 25.9 percent. Extremadura, a landlocked southern region bordering Portugal, ranked third at 15.48 percent. On the other hand, the northern regions, such as the Basque Country or Cantabria, had a much lower unemployment rate of less than eight percent.

From the last quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate of female professionals aged between 16 and 19 exceeded that of their male counterparts. However, by the third quarter of 20232, female unemployment rate stood at 40.07 percent, while male unemployment reached 40.27 percent.

View monthly updates and historical trends for Spain Male Youth Unemployment Rate (Trend). Source: Eurostat. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

Spain ES: Unemployment: National Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data was reported at 38.570 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 44.440 % for 2016. Spain ES: Unemployment: National Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 37.730 % from Dec 1977 (Median) to 2017, with 41 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 55.480 % in 2013 and a record low of 12.480 % in 1977. Spain ES: Unemployment: National Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Spain – Table ES.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted Average; The series for ILO estimates is also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate) in Spain was reported at 27.01 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Spain - Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

As of June 2024, Spain had the highest youth unemployment rate in Europe, at 25.8 percent, with Sweden having the second-highest youth unemployment rate as of this month, at 23.8 percent. Across the 27 member states of the European Union, the overall youth unemployment rate was 14.6 percent, with Germany having the lowest youth unemployment rate of 6.8 percent.