Unemployed persons by methods used for seeking work - % of total unemployment - quarterly data by country

Countries reporting
44
Highest
89.8%
Lithuania
Lowest
11.1%
United Kingdom
Median
57.1%
Years covered
23
1998–2020
Data points
991

What the numbers show

Unemployed persons by methods used for seeking work - % of total unemployment - quarterly data is currently reported for 44 countries. The highest value is 89.8% in Lithuania; the lowest is 11.1% in United Kingdom.

The median across all reporting countries is 57.1%, and the mean is 53.7%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 8.

Over the past decade 10 countries rose and 34 fell. The largest increase was in Türkiye (up 132.0%), and the largest decrease in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (down 82.4%).

Unemployed persons by methods used for seeking work - % of total: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Lithuania 89.8% 2020 up 1.9% rising
1 Lithuania 89.8% 2020 up 1.9% rising
3 Montenegro 84.4% 2020 up 0.4% flat
4 Czechia 81.4% 2020 down 7.1% falling
5 Austria 74.7% 2020 down 1.7% flat
6 Greece 73.3% 2020 up 14.4% rising
7 Estonia 72.0% 2020 up 20.0% rising
7 Estonia 72.0% 2020 up 20.0% rising
9 Slovakia 70.3% 2020 down 11.5% falling
9 Slovakia 70.3% 2020 down 11.5% falling
11 Germany 69.7% 2019 down 16.5% falling
12 Sweden 68.0% 2020 down 8.1% falling
13 Luxembourg 66.9% 2020 down 8.0% rising
14 Croatia 66.5% 2020 down 23.2% falling
14 Croatia 66.5% 2020 down 23.2% falling
16 Serbia 63.4% 2020 down 18.2% falling
17 Slovenia 62.2% 2020 down 12.6% rising
17 Hungary 62.2% 2020 down 21.5% flat
17 Slovenia 62.2% 2020 down 12.6% rising
20 Iceland 58.2% 2020 up 24.4% falling
21 Belgium 58.0% 2020 down 12.7% falling
22 Poland 57.1% 2020 down 18.1% falling
22 Poland 57.1% 2020 down 18.1% falling
24 France 57.0% 2020 down 9.4% falling
25 North Macedonia 55.6% 2020 down 30.6% falling
26 Switzerland 48.3% 2020 down 0.4% falling
27 Bulgaria 48.0% 2020 up 17.9% falling
28 Denmark 47.4% 2020 down 2.3% falling
29 Norway 47.3% 2020 down 17.5% rising
30 Latvia 46.8% 2020 down 14.6% rising
30 Latvia 46.8% 2020 down 14.6% rising
32 Finland 43.3% 2020 down 27.8% falling
33 Cyprus 42.1% 2020 up 123.9% falling
34 Malta 37.6% 2020 down 44.7% falling
35 Ireland 37.1% 2020 down 27.8% falling
36 Türkiye 34.1% 2020 up 132.0% rising
37 Netherlands 31.5% 2020 down 25.2% falling
37 Netherlands 31.5% 2020 down 25.2% falling
39 Portugal 28.6% 2020 down 55.9% falling
40 Spain 23.3% 2020 down 37.5% falling
41 Romania 21.9% 2020 down 54.8% falling
42 Italy 17.8% 2020 down 43.5% falling
43 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 11.1% 2020 down 82.4% falling
43 United Kingdom 11.1% 2020 down 82.4% falling

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

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Unemployed persons by methods used for seeking work - % of total by country. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/unemployed-persons-by-methods-used-for-seeking-work-percent-of-total-unemployment/

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About this data

Indicator
Unemployed persons by methods used for seeking work - % of total unemployment - quarterly data
Unit
Percentage
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
46 places, 991 data points, 1998–2020
Last refreshed