EU unemployment hit new lows in 2023

In 2023, the unemployment rate for 15-74 years old in the EU fell to 6.1% of the labour force, the lowest level since 2014.

The long-term unemployment rate, as a percentage of the labour force, was 2.1% in 2023, marking a historic low since the beginning of the time series in 2009.

Among EU countries, Greece stood out with the highest long-term unemployment rate, reaching 6.2%, followed by Spain (4.3%) and Italy (4.2%). At the other end of the scale, Denmark and the Netherlands were both at 0.5%, ahead of Czechia, Malta and Poland (all at 0.8%). 

Youth unemployment also at a record low

Regarding young people aged 15 to 29 years, the unemployment ratio was 6.3% of the total population of the same age. Looking at the long-term trend, this share was at the lowest level in the entire available time series. 

Still, the situation among EU countries varied a lot. Sweden registered the highest share of youth unemployment at 10.9%, followed by Spain (10.8%) and Greece (9.8%) while the lowest rates were in Czechia (2.4%), Bulgaria (3.2%) and Germany (3.3%). 

For more information

• Statistics explained article on unemployment statistics and beyond
• Statistics explained article on labour market slack – employment supply and demand mismatch
• Thematic section on employment and unemployment 
• Database on employment and unemployment 

Methodological notes 

• All figures are based on the European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS).
• Denmark and Cyprus, 15-74 and 15-29 years old: break in time series
• Spain and France, 15-74 and 15-29 years old: definition differs

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