Spain reported a seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate of 10.6% in December 2024, the highest in the European Union, new data from Eurostat has revealed.
According to the findings, other countries to report a higher-than-average unemployment rate for the month included Greece (9.4%), Finland (8.7%), Sweden (8.5%), France (7.8%), Estonia (7.3%) and Denmark (7.0%).
At the other end of the scale, the unemployment rate was lowest in Czechia (2.6%), Poland (3.0%), Malta (3.0%), Germany (3.4%) and the Netherlands (3.7%).
Unemployment rate in EU
In the EU as a whole, the unemployment rate stood at 5.9% in December 2024, showing a slight rise from 5.8% in November but down from 6.0% in December 2023.
Eurostat estimates that 12.978 million people were unemployed in the EU as of December 2024, with 10.830 million of these in the euro area. Euro area unemployment stood at 6.3% for the month.
The unemployment rate for women in the EU stood at 6.1% in December, unchanged from the previous month, while the unemployment rate for men was 5.7%, which was also unchanged from November, according to the Eurostat data. The youth unemployment rate was 15.0% in the bloc, slightly down from 15.2% in November 2024. Read more here.
Read more: Keep up to date with the latest unemployment data from across Europe here
Unemployment rate by EU member state, December 2024 (%)
| Country | Unemployment Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| Spain | 10.6 |
| Greece | 9.4 |
| Finland | 8.7 |
| Sweden | 8.5 |
| France | 7.8 |
| Estonia | 7.3 |
| Denmark | 7.0 |
| Latvia | 6.8 |
| Lithuania | 6.5 |
| Portugal | 6.4 |
| Italy | 6.2 |
| Luxembourg | 6.1 |
| Belgium | 5.8 |
| Austria | 5.3 |
| Slovakia | 5.3 |
| Romania | 5.2 |
| Slovenia | 5.2 |
| Croatia | 4.5 |
| Cyprus | 4.5 |
| Hungary | 4.3 |
| Ireland | 4.2 |
| Bulgaria | 3.8 |
| Netherlands | 3.7 |
| Germany | 3.4 |
| Malta | 3.0 |
| Poland | 3.0 |
| Czechia | 2.6 |
