Unemployment rate in Sweden
Sweden: Unemployment rate was 8.77 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate in Sweden, 2014–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
Sweden recorded 8.77 for unemployment rate in 2025. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of up 14.5% on the previous year and up 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Sweden peaked at 8.77 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.81, in 2019.
Sweden ranks 14th of 41 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 8.35 | — |
| 2015 | 7.07 | -15.4% |
| 2016 | 7.16 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 6.31 | -11.9% |
| 2018 | 6.9 | +9.4% |
| 2019 | 5.81 | -15.8% |
| 2020 | 7.66 | +31.8% |
| 2021 | 8.45 | +10.3% |
| 2022 | 6.01 | -28.8% |
| 2023 | 6.36 | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 7.66 | +20.4% |
| 2025 | 8.77 | +14.5% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 8.77 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.93, 1.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 8.77 is above the median for high income countries, which is 6.33, 1.4× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6.93 | 5.81 | 8.35 | 6 |
| 2020s | 7.48 | 6.01 | 8.77 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More work & labour data for Sweden
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0422 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0602 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0243 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5427 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 10,837 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 788.88 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5,587 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,780 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 11,367 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Sweden?
- Unemployment rate in Sweden was 8.77 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 8.77 in 2025.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.81 in 2019.
- How does Sweden rank for unemployment rate?
- Sweden ranks 14th out of 41 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Unemployment rate (current ILO definition - ICLS19). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series includes only countries for which the 19th ICLS definitions are applied. The unemployment rate conveys the number of persons who are unemployed as a percent of the labour force (i.e., the employed plus the unemployed). The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. For more information, refer to the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database description.