The unemployment rate in the euro area remained at 6.4% in July 2026, unchanged from the previous month but up from 6.3% in the same month a year earlier, new data from Eurostat has revealed.
Across the EU, meanwhile, the unemployment rate was also unchanged month-on-month at 6.1%, compared with 6.0% a year earlier.
Eurostat estimated that 13.516 million people were unemployed across the EU in July 2026, including 11.264 million in the euro area.
Compared with the previous month, unemployment fell by 41,000 in the EU, while remaining unchanged in the euro area. However, compared with July 2025, the number of unemployed increased by 296,000 in the EU and by 175,000 in the euro area.
Finland leads the way
Finland recorded the highest unemployment rate in the European Union in July, at 10.5%, followed by Spain at 10.0% and Sweden at 8.7%. France recorded a rate of 8.3%, while Greece stood at 7.9%, the data showed.
At the other end of the scale, Malta had the lowest unemployment rate at 3.5%, followed by Poland at 3.4% and Czechia at 3.3%. Germany’s unemployment rate stood at 4.0%.
Youth unemployment declined in July 2026. The EU youth unemployment rate fell to 15.1%, from 15.6% in June, while the euro area rate declined to 14.9% from 15.0%. There were an estimated 2.930 million unemployed people aged under 25 in the EU, including 2.371 million in the euro area.
Compared with June, youth unemployment fell by 98,000 in the EU and by 26,000 in the euro area. However, compared with July 2025, youth unemployment increased by 29,000 in the EU and by 40,000 in the euro area.
Unemployment also remained higher among women than men. In the EU, the unemployment rate was 6.3% for women and 5.9% for men, while in the euro area it was 6.6% for women and 6.2% for men. Read more here.
