What EU country had the highest unemployment rate in September 2024?

Spain continues to boast the highest unemployment rate of any country in the European Union, reporting a rate of 11.2% in September 2024.

According to the latest Eurostat data, other countries to report a high inflation rate include Greece (9.3%), Finland (8.6%), Sweden (8.6%), and Lithuania (7.9%).

At the other end of the scale, meanwhile, the unemployment rate stood at 2.8% in Czechia and 2.9% in Poland, while Malta (3.0%), Slovenia (3.4%) and Germany (3.5%) also recorded low rates.

Unemployment rate in Europe

The unemployment rate across the European Union stood at 5.9% in September 2024, down from 6.1% on the same month the previous year, and stable on a month-on-month basis.

In the euro area specifically, the rate was 6.3%, down from 6.6% in September 2023, and stable on a month-on-month basis.

According to Eurostat, there were 13.042 million unemployed individuals in the European Union in September 2024, with 10.884 million in the euro area.

Month-on-month, unemployment rose by 61,000 in the EU and 13,000 in the euro area. Year-on-year, however, it fell by 226,000 in the EU and 330,000 in the euro area.

Youth unemployment

Youth unemployment was recorded at 14.8% in the EU (up from 14.5% in August) and 14.4% in the euro area (up slightly from 14.3%). A total of 2.861 million young people were unemployed or looking for jobs, with 2.287 million in the euro area.

The unemployment rate among women was stable at 6.1%, Eurostat noted, while male unemployment increased slightly from 5.7% to 5.8%. In the euro area, the rate for women was stable at 6.5%, with men’s unemployment holding steady at 6.1%. Read more here.

Read more: Keep up to date with the latest unemployment data from across Europe here

Unemployment rate by EU member state, September 2024 (%)

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