Unemployment rate in Netherlands
Netherlands: Unemployment rate was 3.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate in Netherlands, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 3.9% for unemployment rate in 2025.
The figure is up 4.7% on the previous year and down 43.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Netherlands peaked at 7.4% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 2001.
That places Netherlands 120th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.3% | — |
| 1992 | 5.6% | -23.7% |
| 1993 | 6.3% | +13.2% |
| 1994 | 7.2% | +13.9% |
| 1995 | 7.2% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 6.4% | -10.3% |
| 1997 | 5.5% | -14.2% |
| 1998 | 4.4% | -20.3% |
| 1999 | 3.6% | -17.6% |
| 2000 | 2.7% | -24.8% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | -22.2% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | +20.5% |
| 2003 | 3.6% | +40.7% |
| 2004 | 4.6% | +29.3% |
| 2005 | 5.9% | +26.4% |
| 2006 | 5.0% | -14.7% |
| 2007 | 4.2% | -17.1% |
| 2008 | 3.7% | -11.9% |
| 2009 | 4.4% | +19.0% |
| 2010 | 5.0% | +14.7% |
| 2011 | 5.0% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 5.8% | +17.0% |
| 2013 | 7.2% | +24.4% |
| 2014 | 7.4% | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 6.9% | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 6.0% | -12.6% |
| 2017 | 4.8% | -19.5% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | -20.8% |
| 2019 | 3.4% | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | +13.1% |
| 2021 | 4.2% | +10.2% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -16.2% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 3.7% | +4.7% |
| 2025 | 3.9% | +4.7% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 3.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.0%, 77% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 3.9% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.6%, 70% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.9% | 3.6% | 7.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.9% | 2.1% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.5% | 3.4% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 3.5% | 4.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More work & labour data for Netherlands
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 5,256 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.71 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 10,535 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.03 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.834 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 130,584 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 94,797 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.03 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.4 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.1112 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Netherlands?
- Unemployment rate in Netherlands was 3.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 7.4% in 2014.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 2001.
- How does Netherlands rank for unemployment rate?
- Netherlands ranks 120th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon.