Spain boasted the highest unemployment rate in the European Union in July 2024, of 11.5%, according to new data from Eurostat.
Spain’s rate is marginally down on the 11.7% the country recorded in May 2024, when it was also the EU country with the highest unemployment rate.
Other countries to boast an unemployment rate notably above the EU average include Greece, with a rate of 9.6% in June 2024, Finland (8.4%), Lithuania (8.2%), Sweden (8.2%) and Estonia (7.4%).
At the other end of the spectrum, countries boasting a low unemployment rate include Czechia, with a rate of 2.7% in June 2024, Poland (3.0%), Slovenia (3.1%), Malta (3.1%) and Germany (3.4%).
EU unemployment
In June 2024, the EU unemployment rate remained stable at 6.0%, unchanged from May 2024 and June 2023. The euro area unemployment rate was 6.5%, slightly up from 6.4% in May 2024 but stable compared to June 2023.
There were 13.258 million unemployed individuals in the EU, with 11.122 million of these in the euro area. This represents an increase of 188,000 unemployed persons in the EU and 81,000 in the euro area compared to June 2023, Eurostat said.
The jobless rate for women in the EU was 6.3%, and for men, it was 5.8%, both unchanged from May 2024.
Unemployment rate in the European Union, July 2024, by country (%)
| Country | Unemployment Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| Spain | 11.5 |
| Greece | 9.6 |
| Finland | 8.4 |
| Lithuania | 8.2 |
| Sweden | 8.2 |
| Estonia | 7.4 |
| France | 7.4 |
| Italy | 7.0 |
| Latvia | 6.7 |
| Portugal | 6.7 |
| European Union – 27 countries (from 2020) | 6.0 |
| Belgium | 5.9 |
| Denmark | 5.9 |
| Luxembourg | 5.7 |
| Romania | 5.5 |
| Slovakia | 5.5 |
| Croatia | 5.3 |
| Austria | 5.3 |
| Bulgaria | 4.5 |
| Cyprus | 4.4 |
| Hungary | 4.3 |
| Ireland | 4.2 |
| Netherlands | 3.6 |
| Germany | 3.4 |
| Malta | 3.1 |
| Slovenia | 3.1 |
| Poland | 3.0 |
| Czechia | 2.7 |
