Unemployment rate in Netherlands
Netherlands: Unemployment rate was 3.87 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
3.87
Change on year
up 4.7%
World rank
120th
of 186 countries
All-time high
7.42
in 2014
All-time low
2.12
in 2001
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate in Netherlands, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Netherlands recorded 3.87 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 7.42 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 2.12, 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 | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.29 | — |
| 1992 | 5.55 | -23.7% |
| 1993 | 6.29 | +13.2% |
| 1994 | 7.16 | +13.9% |
| 1995 | 7.16 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 6.42 | -10.3% |
| 1997 | 5.51 | -14.2% |
| 1998 | 4.39 | -20.3% |
| 1999 | 3.62 | -17.6% |
| 2000 | 2.73 | -24.8% |
| 2001 | 2.12 | -22.2% |
| 2002 | 2.55 | +20.5% |
| 2003 | 3.59 | +40.7% |
| 2004 | 4.65 | +29.3% |
| 2005 | 5.87 | +26.4% |
| 2006 | 5.01 | -14.7% |
| 2007 | 4.15 | -17.1% |
| 2008 | 3.66 | -11.9% |
| 2009 | 4.35 | +19.0% |
| 2010 | 4.99 | +14.7% |
| 2011 | 4.98 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 5.82 | +17.0% |
| 2013 | 7.24 | +24.4% |
| 2014 | 7.42 | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 6.87 | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 6.01 | -12.6% |
| 2017 | 4.84 | -19.5% |
| 2018 | 3.83 | -20.8% |
| 2019 | 3.38 | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 3.82 | +13.1% |
| 2021 | 4.21 | +10.2% |
| 2022 | 3.53 | -16.2% |
| 2023 | 3.54 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 3.7 | +4.7% |
| 2025 | 3.87 | +4.7% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 3.87 is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.04, 77% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 3.87 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.56, 70% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.93 | 3.62 | 7.29 | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.87 | 2.12 | 5.87 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.54 | 3.38 | 7.42 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.78 | 3.53 | 4.21 | 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 3.87 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 7.42 in 2014.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.12 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 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).