Spain continues to have the highest unemployment rate in the European Union, with the rate standing at 10.4% in January 2025, new data from Eurostat has found.
Other countries to report a high unemployment rate for the month include Sweden (9.7%), Finland (8.9%), Greece (8.7%), Estonia (7.6%) and France (7.3%).
At the other end of the scale, the unemployment rate was lowest in Poland and Czechia (both 2.6%) in January, followed by Malta (3.0%), Slovenia (3.3%) and Germany (3.5%).
Unemployment rate in the EU
The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in the European Union stood at 5.8% in January 2025, which was stable compared to the previous year, and down from 6.1% in January 2024.
In the euro area, the unemployment rate stood at 6.2% in January, again stable with the previous month, and down from 6.5% a year earlier.
Youth unemployment stood at 14.6% in January, while the unemployment rate for men stood at 5.6% and for women 6.0%, according to the Eurostat data. Read more here.
Read more: Keep up to date with the latest unemployment data from across Europe here
Unemployment Rate by EU Member State, January 2025 (%)
| Country | Unemployment Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| Spain | 10.4 |
| Sweden | 9.7 |
| Finland | 8.9 |
| Greece | 8.7 |
| Estonia | 7.6 |
| France | 7.3 |
| Latvia | 6.9 |
| Denmark | 6.8 |
| Lithuania | 6.6 |
| Luxembourg | 6.4 |
| Italy | 6.3 |
| Portugal | 6.2 |
| Belgium | 5.8 |
| Austria | 5.5 |
| Romania | 5.5 |
| Slovakia | 5.1 |
| Cyprus | 5.0 |
| Croatia | 4.5 |
| Hungary | 4.3 |
| Ireland | 4.0 |
| Bulgaria | 3.9 |
| Netherlands | 3.8 |
| Germany | 3.5 |
| Slovenia | 3.3 |
| Malta | 3.0 |
| Czechia | 2.6 |
| Poland | 2.6 |
