Labour indicators levels - Regions — Unemployment by country
<p>This dataset presents indicators on the size of the labour force, employment, and unemployment in large regions (TL2) and, where available, in small regions (TL3).</p> <p><strong>Data definition and source</strong></p> <p>The labour force status is presented by sex, for 15-64 year-olds and 15+ year-olds age...
What the numbers show
Labour indicators levels - Regions — Unemployment is currently reported for 46 countries. The highest value is 47.45 million Persons in OECD; the lowest is 8,500 Persons in Iceland.
The median across all reporting countries is 338,200 Persons, and the mean is 2.05 million Persons.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 5,583.
Over the past decade 11 countries rose and 34 fell. The largest increase was in Chile (up 55.2%), and the largest decrease in Croatia (down 71.0%).
Labour indicators levels - Regions — Unemployment: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OECD | 47.45 million Persons | 2014 | — | falling |
| 2 | United States | 6.83 million Persons | 2024 | down 29.1% | rising |
| 3 | Brazil | 6.64 million Persons | 2013 | down 18.4% | falling |
| 4 | South Africa | 5.07 million Persons | 2014 | up 19.4% | rising |
| 5 | Russia | 3.94 million Persons | 2014 | down 31.6% | falling |
| 6 | Spain | 2.61 million Persons | 2025 | down 48.4% | rising |
| 7 | France | 2.43 million Persons | 2025 | down 20.7% | falling |
| 8 | Colombia | 2.14 million Persons | 2014 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 9 | Japan | 1.76 million Persons | 2024 | down 25.1% | falling |
| 10 | Germany | 1.69 million Persons | 2025 | down 13.2% | falling |
| 11 | Mexico | 1.64 million Persons | 2024 | down 35.1% | rising |
| 12 | Italy | 1.58 million Persons | 2025 | down 48.1% | rising |
| 13 | United Kingdom | 1.33 million Persons | 2023 | down 46.3% | falling |
| 14 | Canada | 1.15 million Persons | 2023 | down 15.2% | rising |
| 15 | Chile | 941,088 Persons | 2021 | up 55.2% | rising |
| 16 | Australia | 660,539 Persons | 2025 | down 12.9% | flat |
| 17 | Peru | 569,925 Persons | 2014 | down 19.0% | falling |
| 18 | Poland | 557,900 Persons | 2025 | down 57.2% | volatile |
| 19 | Sweden | 510,400 Persons | 2025 | up 31.4% | rising |
| 20 | Romania | 500,300 Persons | 2025 | down 19.8% | falling |
| 21 | Greece | 422,000 Persons | 2025 | down 64.7% | rising |
| 22 | Netherlands | 396,100 Persons | 2025 | down 35.5% | rising |
| 23 | Belgium | 339,300 Persons | 2025 | down 19.6% | falling |
| 24 | Portugal | 337,100 Persons | 2025 | down 47.8% | rising |
| 25 | Finland | 277,800 Persons | 2025 | up 10.2% | falling |
| 26 | Serbia | 272,400 Persons | 2025 | down 50.6% | falling |
| 27 | Austria | 269,500 Persons | 2025 | up 7.0% | rising |
| 28 | Switzerland | 248,500 Persons | 2025 | up 8.6% | rising |
| 29 | Hungary | 216,500 Persons | 2025 | down 29.7% | falling |
| 30 | Denmark | 208,900 Persons | 2025 | up 15.1% | rising |
| 31 | Costa Rica | 176,986 Persons | 2024 | down 19.5% | rising |
| 32 | Israel | 176,960 Persons | 2020 | down 15.3% | rising |
| 33 | Czechia | 150,500 Persons | 2025 | down 43.8% | falling |
| 34 | Ireland | 137,200 Persons | 2025 | down 39.3% | volatile |
| 35 | Norway | 136,300 Persons | 2025 | up 15.0% | rising |
| 36 | New Zealand | 109,700 Persons | 2021 | down 21.8% | rising |
| 37 | Lithuania | 107,800 Persons | 2025 | down 19.6% | falling |
| 38 | Bulgaria | 106,900 Persons | 2025 | down 65.0% | volatile |
| 39 | North Macedonia | 91,800 Persons | 2025 | down 63.1% | falling |
| 40 | Croatia | 86,800 Persons | 2025 | down 71.0% | falling |
| 41 | Latvia | 65,800 Persons | 2025 | down 33.0% | falling |
| 42 | Estonia | 56,200 Persons | 2025 | up 29.8% | falling |
| 43 | Slovenia | 40,200 Persons | 2025 | down 55.5% | falling |
| 44 | Luxembourg | 22,700 Persons | 2025 | up 23.4% | rising |
| 45 | Malta | 10,400 Persons | 2025 | down 8.0% | flat |
| 46 | Iceland | 8,500 Persons | 2024 | down 6.6% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Korea 822,900 Persons
- Slovak Republic 149,500 Persons
About this data
<p>This dataset presents indicators on the size of the labour force, employment, and unemployment in large regions (TL2) and, where available, in small regions (TL3).</p> <p><strong>Data definition and source</strong></p> <p>The labour force status is presented by sex, for 15-64 year-olds and 15+ year-olds age ranges, the latter having less country coverage. Data is based on a labour force survey using ILO guidelines and collected from Eurostat (reg_lmk) for EU countries and via delegates of the OECD Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI), as well as from national statistical offices' websites.</p> <p><strong>Definition of regions</strong></p> <p>Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). For more information, see the OECD Territorial grid <a href="https://webfs-cfe.oecd.org/files/.Stat/region/OECD_territorial-grid_TL2024.pdf">(pdf)</a> and the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table <a href="https://webfs-cfe.oecd.org/files/.Stat/region/OECD%20Territorial%20correspondence%20-%20TL2024c.xlsx">(xlsx)</a>. </p> <p><strong>Cite this dataset</strong></p> <p>OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database <a href="http://oe.cd/geostats">http://oe.cd/geostats</a>.</p> <p><strong>Further information</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://regions-cities-atlas.oecd.org/">OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas</a> </li> <li><a href="https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-regions-and-cities-at-a-glance-2024_f42db3bf-en.html">OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance</a></li> </ul> <p>For questions and/or comments, please email <a href="mailto:RegionStat@oecd.org">RegionStat@oecd.org</a>.</p>