Unemployed persons by previous occupation in Germany

Germany: Unemployed persons by previous occupation was 1,692 Thousand persons in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
1,692 Thousand persons
Change on year
up 11.5%
World rank
4th
of 45 countries
All-time high
4,571 Thousand persons
in 2005
All-time low
1,342 Thousand persons
in 2023
Years of data
34
1992–2025

Unemployed persons by previous occupation in Germany, 1992–2025

1.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k5.0k1992200820251992: 2.5k Thousand persons1993: 3.0k Thousand persons1994: 3.4k Thousand persons1995: 3.2k Thousand persons1996: 3.4k Thousand persons1997: 3.9k Thousand persons1998: 3.9k Thousand persons1999: 3.5k Thousand persons2000: 3.1k Thousand persons2001: 3.1k Thousand persons2002: 3.4k Thousand persons2003: 3.9k Thousand persons2004: 4.3k Thousand persons2005: 4.6k Thousand persons2006: 4.2k Thousand persons2007: 3.6k Thousand persons2008: 3.1k Thousand persons2009: 3.2k Thousand persons2010: 2.8k Thousand persons2011: 2.4k Thousand persons2012: 2.2k Thousand persons2013: 2.2k Thousand persons2014: 2.1k Thousand persons2015: 1.9k Thousand persons2016: 1.8k Thousand persons2017: 1.6k Thousand persons2018: 1.5k Thousand persons2019: 1.4k Thousand persons2020: 1.7k Thousand persons2021: 1.5k Thousand persons2022: 1.4k Thousand persons2023: 1.3k Thousand persons2024: 1.5k Thousand persons2025: 1.7k Thousand persons

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Thousand persons.

Analysis

In 2025, unemployed persons by previous occupation in Germany stood at 1,692 Thousand persons.

The figure is up 11.5% on the previous year and down 13.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployed persons by previous occupation in Germany peaked at 4,571 Thousand persons in 2005 and was at its lowest, 1,342 Thousand persons, in 2023.

That places Germany 4th out of 45 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Unemployed persons by previous occupation in Germany, year by year

Annual values for Unemployed persons by previous occupation in Germany, 1992 to 2025.
Year Thousand persons Change
1992 2,465 Thousand persons —
1993 3,002 Thousand persons +21.8%
1994 3,427 Thousand persons +14.1%
1995 3,178 Thousand persons -7.2%
1996 3,448 Thousand persons +8.5%
1997 3,861 Thousand persons +12.0%
1998 3,855 Thousand persons -0.2%
1999 3,506 Thousand persons -9.1%
2000 3,123 Thousand persons -10.9%
2001 3,078 Thousand persons -1.4%
2002 3,362 Thousand persons +9.2%
2003 3,894 Thousand persons +15.8%
2004 4,261 Thousand persons +9.4%
2005 4,571 Thousand persons +7.3%
2006 4,249 Thousand persons -7.0%
2007 3,605 Thousand persons -15.2%
2008 3,138 Thousand persons -12.9%
2009 3,233 Thousand persons +3.0%
2010 2,814 Thousand persons -12.9%
2011 2,398 Thousand persons -14.8%
2012 2,224 Thousand persons -7.2%
2013 2,182 Thousand persons -1.9%
2014 2,090 Thousand persons -4.2%
2015 1,950 Thousand persons -6.7%
2016 1,774 Thousand persons -9.0%
2017 1,621 Thousand persons -8.6%
2018 1,468 Thousand persons -9.5%
2019 1,373 Thousand persons -6.5%
2020 1,663 Thousand persons +21.2%
2021 1,517 Thousand persons -8.8%
2022 1,355 Thousand persons -10.7%
2023 1,342 Thousand persons -0.9%
2024 1,518 Thousand persons +13.1%
2025 1,692 Thousand persons +11.5%

Germany compared with similar countries

  • Germany's 1,692 Thousand persons is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 212.7 Thousand persons, 8.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Germany's 1,692 Thousand persons is above the median for high income countries, which is 216.5 Thousand persons, 7.8× the median. (31 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3,343 Thousand persons 2,465 Thousand persons 3,861 Thousand persons 8
2000s 3,651 Thousand persons 3,078 Thousand persons 4,571 Thousand persons 10
2010s 1,989 Thousand persons 1,373 Thousand persons 2,814 Thousand persons 10
2020s 1,515 Thousand persons 1,342 Thousand persons 1,692 Thousand persons 6

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 1 Türkiye 2,966 Thousand persons compare
  2. 2 Spain 2,608 Thousand persons compare
  3. 3 France 2,451 Thousand persons compare
  4. 5 Italy 1,576 Thousand persons compare
  5. 6 United Kingdom 1,278 Thousand persons compare
  6. 6 United Kingdom 1,278 Thousand persons compare

See the full ranking of 47 places →

More work & labour data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployed persons by previous occupation in Germany?
Unemployed persons by previous occupation in Germany was 1,692 Thousand persons in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest unemployed persons by previous occupation recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 4,571 Thousand persons in 2005.
What is the lowest unemployed persons by previous occupation recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 1,342 Thousand persons in 2023.
How does Germany rank for unemployed persons by previous occupation?
Germany ranks 4th out of 45 countries with data for 2025.
Is unemployed persons by previous occupation rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Germany data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Unemployed persons by previous occupation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Unemployed persons by previous occupation in Germany. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/unemployed-persons-by-previous-occupation/germany/

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About this data

Indicator
Unemployed persons by previous occupation
Unit
Thousand persons
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
47 places, 1,324 data points, 1992–2025
Last refreshed