Countries in Europe by unemployment
People without work who are looking for it, as a share of the labour force, as modelled by the International Labour Organization so countries can be compared. 39 countries in Europe, highest first. World Bank, mostly 2025
Median country
5.6%
half above, half below| # | Country | % of labour force | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Montenegro | 13.6% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 2 |  North Macedonia | 12.3% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 3 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 11.0% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 4 |  Albania | 10.9% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 5 |  Spain | 10.4% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 6 |  Ukraine | 9.8% | 2021 | Eastern Europe |
| 7 |  Finland | 9.5% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 8 |  Sweden | 8.7% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 9 |  Greece | 8.5% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 10 |  Estonia | 8.3% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 11 |  France | 7.5% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| 12 |  Serbia | 7.1% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 13 |  Lithuania | 6.7% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 14 |  Latvia | 6.6% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 15 |  Italy | 6.4% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 16 |  Luxembourg | 6.3% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| 17 |  Portugal | 6.2% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 18 |  Romania | 6.0% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 19 |  Belgium | 5.9% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| 20 |  Austria | 5.6% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| 21 |  Denmark | 5.5% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 22 |  Slovakia | 5.4% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 23 |  Croatia | 5.0% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 24 |  Switzerland | 4.9% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| 25 |  United Kingdom | 4.7% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| =26 |  Ireland | 4.6% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| =26 |  Norway | 4.6% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 28 |  Hungary | 4.5% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 29 |  Netherlands | 3.9% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| 30 |  Germany | 3.7% | 2025 | Western Europe |
| 31 |  Iceland | 3.6% | 2025 | Northern Europe |
| 32 |  Bulgaria | 3.5% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 33 |  Belarus | 3.4% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 34 |  Slovenia | 3.2% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 35 |  Poland | 3.0% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 36 |  Malta | 2.9% | 2025 | Southern Europe |
| 37 |  Czechia | 2.8% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 38 |  Russia | 2.1% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
| 39 |  Moldova | 1.5% | 2025 | Eastern Europe |
No World Bank figure for 5 countries: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City.
Questions
- Which country in Europe has the highest unemployment?
- Montenegro has the highest unemployment in Europe: 13.6% of the labour force (2025). Next come North Macedonia (12.3% of the labour force) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (11.0% of the labour force).
- Which country in Europe has the lowest unemployment?
- Moldova, with 1.5% of the labour force (2025).
- What is the typical unemployment of a country in Europe?
- The median of the 39 countries in Europe is 5.6% of the labour force: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
- Where do the figures come from?
- People without work who are looking for it, as a share of the labour force, as modelled by the International Labour Organization so countries can be compared. Source: World Bank, mostly 2025. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.
Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.