Among European Union countries in March 2025, Spain had the highest unemployment rate at 10.9 percent, followed by Finland at 9.4 percent. By contrast, Czechia has the lowest unemployment rate in Europe, at 2.6 percent. The overall rate of unemployment in the European Union was 5.8 percent in the same month - a historical low-point for unemployment in the EU, which had been at over 10 percent for much of the 2010s.

Unemployment Rate In the Euro Area remained unchanged at 6.20 percent in June. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Euro Area Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

This dataset provides values for UNEMPLOYMENT RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

The statistic reflects the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in member states of the European Union in November 2024. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Spain in November 2024 was 11.2 percent.The unemployment rate represents the share of the unemployed in all potential employees available to the job market. Unemployment rates in the EU The unemployment rate is an important measure of a country or region’s economic health, and despite unemployment levels in the European Union falling slightly from a peak in early 2013 , they remain high, especially in comparison to what the rates were before the worldwide recession started in 2008. This confirms the continuing stagnation in European markets, which hits young job seekers particularly hard as they struggle to compete against older, more experienced workers for a job, suffering under jobless rates twice as high as general unemployment. Some companies, such as Microsoft and Fujitsu, have created thousands of jobs in some of the countries which have particularly dire unemployment rates, creating a beacon of hope. However, some industries such as information technology, face the conundrum of a deficit of qualified workers in the local unemployed work force, and have to hire workers from abroad instead of helping decrease the local unemployment rates. This skills mismatch has no quick solution, as workers require time for retraining to fill the openings in the growing science-, technology-, or engineering-based jobs, and too few students choose degrees that would help them obtain these positions. Worldwide unemployment also remains high, with the rates being worst in the Middle East and North Africa. Estimates by the International Labour Organization predict that the problem will stabilize in coming years, but not improve until at least 2017.

Unemployment Rate in European Union remained unchanged at 5.90 percent in May. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - European Union Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

EU Unemployment Rate: Euro Area data was reported at 8.000 % in Jun 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 8.200 % for May 2018. EU Unemployment Rate: Euro Area data is updated monthly, averaging 9.000 % from Jan 1983 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 426 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.700 % in Feb 2013 and a record low of 7.200 % in Jul 2008. EU Unemployment Rate: Euro Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s EU – Table EU.G010: Eurostat: Unemployment Rate.

The unemployment rate in the European Union and the Euro area from 2013 to 2024 has a decreasing trend. In 2024, the average unemployment rate in the EU was 5.9 percent.

The statistic shows the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate in EU member states as of November 2024. The source defines youth unemployment as unemployment of those younger than 25 years. In November 2024, 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.

Key information about EU Unemployment Rate

• EU Unemployment Rate remained the same at 5.80% in Jan 2025, from the previously reported figure of 5.80% in Dec 2024.
• EU Unemployment Rate is updated monthly, available from Jan 2000 to Jan 2025, with an average rate of 9.30%.
• The data reached an all-time high of 11.70% in May 2013 and a record low of 5.80% in Jan 2025.
• The data is reported by reported by Eurostat.
• In the latest reports, EU Population reached 449.31 million people in Dec 2023.

European Union Unemployment Rate: EU 27 excl UK data was reported at 6.700 % in Mar 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6.800 % for Feb 2020. European Union Unemployment Rate: EU 27 excl UK data is updated monthly, averaging 9.500 % from Jan 2000 (Median) to Mar 2020, with 243 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.100 % in Feb 2013 and a record low of 6.400 % in Aug 2019. European Union Unemployment Rate: EU 27 excl UK data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.G010: Eurostat: Unemployment Rate.

European Union Unemployment Rate: EU 27 excl UK: Female data was reported at 7.000 % in Mar 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 7.100 % for Feb 2020. European Union Unemployment Rate: EU 27 excl UK: Female data is updated monthly, averaging 10.100 % from Jan 2000 (Median) to Mar 2020, with 243 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.100 % in Feb 2013 and a record low of 6.700 % in Jun 2019. European Union Unemployment Rate: EU 27 excl UK: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.G010: Eurostat: Unemployment Rate.

Youth Unemployment Rate in European Union increased to 14.80 percent in May from 14.70 percent in April of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - European Union Youth Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

European Union Unemployment Rate: Euro Area 20 data was reported at 6.500 % in Mar 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 6.500 % for Feb 2025. European Union Unemployment Rate: Euro Area 20 data is updated monthly, averaging 8.800 % from Jan 2000 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 303 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.900 % in Feb 2013 and a record low of 6.100 % in Nov 2024. European Union Unemployment Rate: Euro Area 20 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.G: Eurostat: Unemployment Rate.

Graph and download economic data for Harmonized Unemployment Rate: Total: All Persons for the European Union (LRHUTTTTEUA156N) from 2000 to 2019 about EU, harmonized, Europe, unemployment, persons, and rate.

European Union Unemployment Rate: EU 27 excl UK: Female: Age 15 to 24 data was reported at 14.800 % in Mar 2020. This stayed constant from the previous number of 14.800 % for Feb 2020. European Union Unemployment Rate: EU 27 excl UK: Female: Age 15 to 24 data is updated monthly, averaging 20.700 % from Jan 2000 (Median) to Mar 2020, with 243 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 25.300 % in Oct 2013 and a record low of 13.600 % in Dec 2019. European Union Unemployment Rate: EU 27 excl UK: Female: Age 15 to 24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.G010: Eurostat: Unemployment Rate.

European Union Unemployment Rate: Euro Area 20: Male data was reported at 6.400 % in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.300 % for Feb 2025. European Union Unemployment Rate: Euro Area 20: Male data is updated monthly, averaging 8.000 % from Jan 2000 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 303 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.900 % in Feb 2013 and a record low of 5.800 % in Oct 2024. European Union Unemployment Rate: Euro Area 20: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.G: Eurostat: Unemployment Rate.

European Union Unemployment Rate: sa: EU 27 excl UK: Male data was reported at 6.300 % in Mar 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.200 % for Feb 2020. European Union Unemployment Rate: sa: EU 27 excl UK: Male data is updated monthly, averaging 8.800 % from Jan 2000 (Median) to Mar 2020, with 243 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.400 % in Jun 2013 and a record low of 6.200 % in Feb 2020. European Union Unemployment Rate: sa: EU 27 excl UK: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.G011: Eurostat: Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted.

The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force (the total number of people employed and unemployed) based on International Labour Office (ILO) definition. Unemployed persons comprise persons aged 15 to 74 who fulfil all three following conditions: - are without work during the reference week; - are available to start work within the next two weeks; - have been actively seeking work in the past four weeks or have already found a job to start within the next three months. The indicator monitors high and persistent rates of unemployment and it helps to better understand the potential severity of macroeconomic imbalances. It points towards a potential misallocation of resources and general lack of adjustment capacity in the economy. The quarterly time series are seasonally adjusted. The data source is the quarterly EU Labour Force Survey (EU LFS). The EU LFS covers the resident population in private households.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate: Aged 15-64: All Persons for the European Union (LRUN64TTEUA156N) from 2005 to 2019 about EU, 15 to 64 years, Europe, unemployment, and rate.

Monthly unemployment across the EU generally fell throughout 2019, reaching a low of 6.5 percent in March 2020 - thereafter, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic saw a sharp rise in unemployment, peaking at 7.8 percent in August. Unemployment remained high throughout the pandemic's first year, before falling in its second year, when it then fell to pre-pandemic levels 18 months after it began. From January to July 2024, unemployment in the EU remained fairly consistent at around six percent.