Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Finland
Finland: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 9.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Finland, 1969–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Finland stood at 9.7%.
That represents a change of up 16.4% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Finland peaked at 17.0% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 1974.
That places Finland 37th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 57 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Finland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 2.8% | — |
| 1970 | 1.9% | -33.1% |
| 1971 | 2.3% | +19.2% |
| 1972 | 2.4% | +7.4% |
| 1973 | 2.5% | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 1.6% | -32.8% |
| 1975 | 2.2% | +30.9% |
| 1976 | 3.7% | +73.6% |
| 1977 | 6.1% | +62.6% |
| 1978 | 7.2% | +17.4% |
| 1979 | 6.2% | -13.4% |
| 1980 | 4.9% | -21.6% |
| 1981 | 5.0% | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 5.3% | +4.9% |
| 1983 | 5.4% | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 5.1% | -5.2% |
| 1985 | 5.0% | -2.2% |
| 1986 | 5.3% | +6.4% |
| 1987 | 5.1% | -3.9% |
| 1988 | 4.5% | -12.5% |
| 1989 | 3.2% | -28.2% |
| 1990 | 3.2% | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 6.7% | +109.3% |
| 1992 | 11.7% | +75.9% |
| 1993 | 16.4% | +40.0% |
| 1994 | 16.6% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 17.0% | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 15.6% | -8.4% |
| 1997 | 15.0% | -3.9% |
| 1998 | 13.2% | -11.7% |
| 1999 | 11.7% | -11.5% |
| 2000 | 11.1% | -4.8% |
| 2001 | 10.3% | -7.6% |
| 2002 | 10.4% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 10.5% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 10.4% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 9.6% | -7.3% |
| 2006 | 8.9% | -6.9% |
| 2007 | 6.9% | -23.3% |
| 2008 | 6.4% | -7.1% |
| 2009 | 8.2% | +29.5% |
| 2010 | 8.4% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 7.8% | -7.3% |
| 2012 | 7.7% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 8.2% | +6.6% |
| 2014 | 8.7% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 9.4% | +8.2% |
| 2016 | 8.8% | -6.0% |
| 2017 | 8.6% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 7.4% | -14.8% |
| 2019 | 6.7% | -9.0% |
| 2020 | 7.8% | +15.9% |
| 2021 | 7.6% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 6.7% | -11.8% |
| 2023 | 7.1% | +6.4% |
| 2024 | 8.3% | +16.6% |
| 2025 | 9.7% | +16.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 1 |
| 1970s | 3.6% | 1.6% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.9% | 3.2% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.7% | 3.2% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.3% | 6.4% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.2% | 6.7% | 9.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.9% | 6.7% | 9.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Finland
- 34 New Caledonia 10.2% compare
- 35 Ukraine 9.8% compare
- 36 Marshall Islands 9.8% compare
- 38 American Samoa 9.2% compare
- 39 Greenland 9.1% compare
- 40 Belize 9.1% compare
More work & labour data for Finland
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.3571 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.35 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.3641 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.59 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.2994 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 5,282 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 583.99 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,261 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,341 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 4,601 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Finland?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Finland was 9.7% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 17.0% in 1995.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 1974.
- How does Finland rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Finland ranks 37th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Finland data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 57 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.