Monthly unemployment levels by country
The infra-annual dataflow on the monthly unemployed population is a subset of the infra-annual labour statistics database, which contains predominantly monthly and quarterly statistics on the unemployed population by age groups (15+, 15-24, 25-54, 55-64, 15-64 and 15-74 where available) and sex and associated...
What the numbers show
Monthly unemployment levels is currently reported for 32 countries. The highest value is 34,246 Persons in OECD; the lowest is 10.17 Persons in Iceland.
The median across all reporting countries is 380.54 Persons, and the mean is 2,005 Persons.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 3,368.
Over the past decade 11 countries rose and 21 fell. The largest increase was in Chile (up 56.6%), and the largest decrease in Bulgaria (down 68.3%).
Monthly unemployment levels: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OECD | 34,246 Persons | 2024 | down 27.7% | falling |
| 2 | United States | 6,761 Persons | 2024 | down 29.7% | rising |
| 3 | Spain | 2,608 Persons | 2025 | down 48.4% | rising |
| 4 | France | 2,451 Persons | 2025 | down 20.2% | flat |
| 5 | Colombia | 2,326 Persons | 2025 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 6 | Japan | 1,758 Persons | 2025 | down 20.8% | volatile |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 1,740 Persons | 2025 | down 2.2% | falling |
| 8 | Germany | 1,666 Persons | 2025 | down 7.1% | falling |
| 9 | Mexico | 1,631 Persons | 2025 | down 29.3% | falling |
| 10 | Italy | 1,571 Persons | 2025 | down 47.8% | rising |
| 11 | Canada | 1,539 Persons | 2025 | up 14.7% | rising |
| 12 | Chile | 877.3 Persons | 2025 | up 56.6% | rising |
| 13 | Australia | 639.31 Persons | 2025 | down 15.7% | rising |
| 14 | Sweden | 511.33 Persons | 2025 | up 31.1% | rising |
| 15 | Romania | 500.33 Persons | 2025 | down 26.8% | falling |
| 16 | Greece | 421.92 Persons | 2025 | down 64.8% | rising |
| 17 | Belgium | 339.17 Persons | 2025 | down 21.2% | falling |
| 18 | Portugal | 336.92 Persons | 2025 | down 47.9% | rising |
| 19 | Finland | 277.58 Persons | 2025 | up 10.7% | falling |
| 20 | Austria | 269.42 Persons | 2025 | down 0.5% | rising |
| 21 | Switzerland | 248.55 Persons | 2025 | up 8.6% | rising |
| 22 | Hungary | 213.33 Persons | 2025 | down 29.4% | falling |
| 23 | Denmark | 209 Persons | 2025 | up 15.1% | falling |
| 24 | New Zealand | 159.8 Persons | 2025 | up 18.0% | volatile |
| 25 | Costa Rica | 158.25 Persons | 2025 | down 27.7% | rising |
| 26 | Czechia | 155.33 Persons | 2025 | down 42.1% | falling |
| 27 | Ireland | 137.25 Persons | 2025 | down 39.0% | falling |
| 28 | Norway | 136.92 Persons | 2025 | up 4.9% | rising |
| 29 | Israel | 134.28 Persons | 2025 | down 33.5% | falling |
| 30 | Bulgaria | 106.83 Persons | 2025 | down 68.3% | falling |
| 31 | Luxembourg | 22.92 Persons | 2025 | up 29.7% | volatile |
| 32 | Iceland | 10.17 Persons | 2025 | up 16.2% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
About this data
The infra-annual dataflow on the monthly unemployed population is a subset of the infra-annual labour statistics database, which contains predominantly monthly and quarterly statistics on the unemployed population by age groups (15+, 15-24, 25-54, 55-64, 15-64 and 15-74 where available) and sex and associated statistical methodological information and associated statistical methodological information, for the OECD member countries and for selected other economies. Chile, Costa Rica, and the United Kingdom publish Labour Force Survey (LFS) data using a rolling quarter methodology. The OECD treats the middle month of the rolling quarter as the reference month. As a result, the publication of monthly LFS data for these countries may be delayed by one month or more relative to the OECD reference month. The unemployed are persons in their working age who, in the reference period, do not have a job; are available for work; and, have taken specific steps to find a job. The infra-annual labour statistics compiled for all OECD member countries, are drawn from Labour Force Surveys based on definition provided by the 19th Conference of Labour Statisticians in 2013. The uniform application of these definitions across all OECD member countries results in estimates that are internationally comparable.