Denmark vs Sweden: Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group
Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group over time
- Denmark
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 8.55 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup against 8.03 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in Denmark, a difference of 0.52 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup.
That makes Sweden's figure about 1.1 times Denmark's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 33 shared years of data; in 1981 it was Denmark ahead.
Denmark ranks 10th and Sweden ranks 8th of 37 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 3 and Sweden in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Denmark | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.49 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2.3 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 6.2 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | Denmark |
| 1990s | 10.29 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 7.8 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2.49 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | Denmark |
| 2000s | 5.15 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 6.47 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 1.32 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | Sweden |
| 2010s | 8.19 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 7.28 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 0.9107 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | Denmark |
| 2020s | 6.88 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 7.85 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 0.9663 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group, Denmark or Sweden?
- Sweden, at 8.55 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup against 8.03 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in Denmark as of 2025.
- What is the difference in unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group between Denmark and Sweden?
- 0.52 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Sweden?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2025.
- How do Denmark and Sweden rank globally for unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group?
- Denmark ranks 10th and Sweden ranks 8th of 37 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and gender. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This dataset contains data on unemployment rates by educational attainment level, age group and gender. The default table displays 2025 data (or the latest available year) on the unemployment rates of 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary, upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary, or tertiary attainment. The selection can be changed to display data by more detailed educational attainment level, by programme orientation, by gender and by age group. Filter the time period to display historical data. Data for the latest available year are preliminary. Final data will be released on September 29, 2026. For more information, please consult the Education at a Glance web page and the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications.