Monthly unemployment rates by country
The infra-annual dataflow on the monthly unemployment rate 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 rates is currently reported for 32 countries. The highest value is 10.52 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in Spain; the lowest is 2.51 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in Japan.
The median across all reporting countries is 5.48 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup, and the mean is 5.75 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 4.
Over the past decade 6 countries rose and 26 fell. The largest increase was in Chile (up 35.0%), and the largest decrease in Bulgaria (down 65.2%).
Monthly unemployment rates: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 10.52 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 52.4% | falling |
| 2 | Finland | 9.68 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 2.4% | falling |
| 3 | Colombia | 8.9 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 0.6% | flat |
| 4 | Greece | 8.89 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 64.4% | rising |
| 5 | Sweden | 8.87 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 18.0% | rising |
| 6 | Chile | 8.55 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 35.0% | falling |
| 7 | France | 7.72 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 25.4% | falling |
| 8 | Canada | 6.83 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 2.5% | rising |
| 9 | Costa Rica | 6.74 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 29.9% | flat |
| 10 | Luxembourg | 6.55 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 1.4% | rising |
| 11 | Denmark | 6.36 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 1.5% | falling |
| 12 | Belgium | 6.2 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 28.3% | falling |
| 13 | Italy | 6.12 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 49.0% | flat |
| 14 | Romania | 6.12 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 27.1% | falling |
| 15 | Portugal | 6.04 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 53.5% | rising |
| 16 | Austria | 5.68 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 7.6% | rising |
| 17 | New Zealand | 5.28 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 2.3% | volatile |
| 18 | OECD | 4.92 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2024 | down 34.0% | falling |
| 19 | Switzerland | 4.84 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | up 0.8% | falling |
| 20 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 4.83 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 9.8% | falling |
| 21 | Ireland | 4.68 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 52.8% | falling |
| 22 | Norway | 4.51 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 3.9% | falling |
| 23 | Hungary | 4.38 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 32.9% | falling |
| 24 | Iceland | 4.35 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 5.3% | flat |
| 25 | Australia | 4.2 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 30.7% | rising |
| 26 | United States of America | 4.02 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2024 | down 34.9% | flat |
| 27 | Germany | 3.77 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 13.6% | falling |
| 28 | Bulgaria | 3.52 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 65.2% | falling |
| 29 | Israel | 3 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 42.8% | falling |
| 30 | Czechia | 2.89 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 42.8% | falling |
| 31 | Mexico | 2.65 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 39.2% | rising |
| 32 | Japan | 2.51 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 2025 | down 25.7% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Türkiye 8.36 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup
- Slovak Republic 5.42 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup
- Estonia 7.44 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup
- Croatia 4.86 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup
- Latvia 6.94 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup
- Korea 2.79 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup
- Lithuania 6.91 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup
- Euro area 6.33 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup
- Slovenia 3.88 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup
- Netherlands 3.88 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup
- Poland 3.15 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup
About this data
The infra-annual dataflow on the monthly unemployment rate 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. The unemployment rate is calculated as the number of unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force (i.e., the unemployed plus those in employment). 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. 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 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.