Incidence of unemployment by duration by country
This table contains data on the share of the five durations - less than 1 month,>1 month and < 3 months,>3 months and <6 months,>6 months and <1 year, 1 year and over - of unemployment among total unemployment by sex and by standardised age groups (15-19, 15-24, 20-24, 25-54, 55+, total). Detailed notes and sources...
What the numbers show
Incidence of unemployment by duration is currently reported for 38 countries. The highest value is 41.29 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in United Kingdom; the lowest is 6.92 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in Italy.
The median across all reporting countries is 22.85 Percentage of population in the same subgroup, and the mean is 22.44 Percentage of population in the same subgroup.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 6.
Over the past decade 25 countries rose and 13 fell. The largest increase was in Ireland (up 206.7%), and the largest decrease in Italy (down 36.5%).
Incidence of unemployment by duration: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Kingdom | 41.29 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 83.0% | rising |
| 2 | Colombia | 37.66 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 1.6% | rising |
| 3 | Mexico | 35.94 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 4.4% | falling |
| 4 | Ireland | 35.35 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 206.7% | volatile |
| 5 | United States | 29.38 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 5.8% | falling |
| 6 | Austria | 28.44 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 24.7% | falling |
| 7 | Denmark | 28.04 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 15.0% | rising |
| 8 | Norway | 28.02 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 1.2% | rising |
| 9 | OECD | 27.97 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 21.0% | rising |
| 10 | Israel | 27.21 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 0.8% | rising |
| 11 | Iceland | 26.75 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 6.9% | rising |
| 12 | Canada | 26.74 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 3.1% | flat |
| 13 | Russia | 26.31 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2020 | up 40.8% | rising |
| 14 | Argentina | 25.52 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2023 | down 5.5% | falling |
| 15 | Japan | 25.44 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 21.0% | falling |
| 16 | Australia | 25.07 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 2.1% | flat |
| 17 | Malta | 23.73 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 45.1% | rising |
| 18 | Belgium | 23.39 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 44.6% | rising |
| 19 | France | 23.26 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 42.3% | rising |
| 20 | Finland | 22.44 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 23.4% | rising |
| 21 | Cyprus | 22.39 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 71.4% | flat |
| 22 | Germany | 21.88 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 38.5% | rising |
| 23 | Costa Rica | 21.59 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 19.7% | falling |
| 24 | Spain | 21.46 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 48.5% | rising |
| 25 | New Zealand | 20.57 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 18.6% | rising |
| 26 | Portugal | 19.76 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 41.9% | rising |
| 27 | Czechia | 18.74 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 57.9% | rising |
| 28 | Switzerland | 17.89 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 4.1% | falling |
| 29 | Luxembourg | 17.26 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 30 | Sweden | 16.22 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 32.1% | falling |
| 31 | Bulgaria | 14.71 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 83.4% | rising |
| 32 | Romania | 14.36 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 11.9% | rising |
| 33 | South Africa | 11.78 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 34.5% | rising |
| 34 | Hungary | 11.75 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 14.8% | flat |
| 35 | Peru | 9.57 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2023 | up 20.7% | rising |
| 36 | Greece | 9.53 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 58.4% | flat |
| 37 | North Macedonia | 8.19 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 90.5% | rising |
| 38 | Italy | 6.92 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 36.5% | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Korea 58.51 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
- Türkiye 35.79 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
- Netherlands 29.13 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
- Croatia 16.98 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
- Slovenia 26.74 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
- Slovak Republic 4.8 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
- Poland 25.73 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
- Estonia 24.96 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
- Latvia 18.09 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
- Lithuania 16.27 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
About this data
This table contains data on the share of the five durations - less than 1 month,>1 month and < 3 months,>3 months and <6 months,>6 months and <1 year, 1 year and over - of unemployment among total unemployment by sex and by standardised age groups (15-19, 15-24, 20-24, 25-54, 55+, total). Detailed notes and sources can be found in LFS_NOTES_SOURCES. In order to facilitate analysis and comparisons over time, historical data for OECD members have been provided over as long a period as possible, often even before a country became a member of the Organisation. Information on the membership dates of all OECD countries can be found at OECD Ratification Dates.