Spain vs United States: Unemployment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+)
Unemployment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) over time
- Spain
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 7,314 against 2,608 in Spain, a difference of 4,706.
That makes United States's figure about 2.8 times Spain's.
Across all 31 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Spain ranks 5th and United States ranks 3rd of 78 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Spain | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3,323 | 6,743 | 3,420 | United States |
| 2000s | 2,326 | 8,265 | 5,939 | United States |
| 2010s | 4,731 | 9,750 | 5,019 | United States |
| 2020s | 3,067 | 7,954 | 4,886 | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher unemployment (previous ilo definition - icls13), Spain or United States?
- United States, at 7,314 against 2,608 in Spain as of 2025.
- What is the difference in unemployment (previous ilo definition - icls13) between Spain and United States?
- 4,706, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and United States?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2025.
- How do Spain and United States rank globally for unemployment (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- Spain ranks 5th and United States ranks 3rd of 78 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization, published as Unemployment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. For more information, refer to the International Labour Migration Statistics (ILMS) database description.