Unemployment rate in France

France: Unemployment rate was 10.82 in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
10.82
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
7th
of 58 countries
All-time high
12.58
in 2021
All-time low
8
in 2020
Years of data
22
2004–2025

Unemployment rate in France, 2004–2025

0510152004201420252004: 11.42005: 10.82006: 10.22007: 9.32008: 9.12009: 10.62010: 11.12011: 10.12012: 10.52013: 11.52014: 11.22015: 10.42016: 10.12017: 11.32018: 10.22019: 10.32020: 82021: 12.62022: 11.32023: 112024: 10.52025: 10.8

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2025, unemployment rate in France stood at 10.82.

That represents a change of up 3.4% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment rate in France peaked at 12.58 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 8, in 2020.

France ranks 7th of 58 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Unemployment rate in France, year by year

Annual values for Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in France, 2004 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2004 11.38
2005 10.76 -5.4%
2006 10.19 -5.3%
2007 9.31 -8.7%
2008 9.12 -2.0%
2009 10.63 +16.6%
2010 11.14 +4.8%
2011 10.08 -9.5%
2012 10.53 +4.4%
2013 11.53 +9.5%
2014 11.18 -3.0%
2015 10.4 -7.0%
2016 10.1 -2.9%
2017 11.33 +12.1%
2018 10.18 -10.1%
2019 10.31 +1.3%
2020 8 -22.4%
2021 12.58 +57.2%
2022 11.29 -10.2%
2023 10.98 -2.7%
2024 10.46 -4.7%
2025 10.82 +3.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 10.23 9.12 11.38 6
2010s 10.68 10.08 11.53 10
2020s 10.69 8 12.58 6

Countries ranked near France

  1. 4 Spain 15.31 compare
  2. 5 Zimbabwe 12.13 compare
  3. 6 Greece 11.41 compare
  4. 8 Lithuania 10.69 compare
  5. 9 Finland 10.66 compare
  6. 10 Portugal 9.56 compare

See the full ranking of 58 places →

More work & labour data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment rate in France?
Unemployment rate in France was 10.82 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 12.58 in 2021.
What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 8 in 2020.
How does France rank for unemployment rate?
France ranks 7th out of 58 countries with data for 2025.
Is unemployment rate rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this France data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Unemployment rate in France. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/unemployment-rate-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/france/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/unemployment-rate-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/france/">Unemployment rate in France</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
58 places, 869 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed

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 is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. 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. The term disability, as defined in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), is used as an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. For measurement purposes, a person with disability is defined as a person who is limited in the kind or amount of activities that he or she can do because of ongoing difficulties due to a long-term physical condition, mental condition or health problem. For more information, refer to the Disability Labour Market Indicators (DLMI) database description.