France vs Spain: Unemployment
Unemployment over time
- France
- Spain
How they compare
Spain currently reports 3,856 against 3,359 in France, a difference of 497.
That makes Spain's figure about 1.1 times France's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 22 shared years of data; in 2004 it was France ahead.
France ranks 5th and Spain ranks 4th of 58 countries.
Spain has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2,788 | 2,981 | 192.7 | Spain |
| 2010s | 3,103 | 5,534 | 2,431 | Spain |
| 2020s | 3,219 | 4,122 | 902.53 | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher unemployment, France or Spain?
- Spain, at 3,856 against 3,359 in France as of 2025.
- What is the difference in unemployment between France and Spain?
- 497, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Spain?
- 22 years are reported by both, from 2004 to 2025.
- How do France and Spain rank globally for unemployment?
- France ranks 5th and Spain ranks 4th of 58 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization, published as Unemployment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. 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. The term disability, as defined in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), is used as an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. For measurement purposes, a person with disability is defined as a person who is limited in the kind or amount of activities that he or she can do because of ongoing difficulties due to a long-term physical condition, mental condition or health problem. For more information, refer to the Disability Labour Market Indicators (DLMI) database description.