Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Italy
Italy: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 6.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Italy, 1970–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Italy recorded 6.1% for unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 6.1% on the previous year and down 48.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Italy peaked at 12.7% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 1974.
Italy ranks 76th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.4% | — |
| 1971 | 5.4% | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 6.4% | +17.6% |
| 1973 | 6.4% | -0.3% |
| 1974 | 5.4% | -15.6% |
| 1975 | 5.8% | +8.1% |
| 1976 | 6.6% | +14.2% |
| 1977 | 7.1% | +7.2% |
| 1978 | 7.2% | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 7.6% | +5.6% |
| 1980 | 7.5% | -1.5% |
| 1981 | 8.4% | +11.3% |
| 1982 | 9.0% | +7.7% |
| 1983 | 8.5% | -5.4% |
| 1984 | 9.4% | +10.2% |
| 1985 | 9.4% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 10.5% | +12.0% |
| 1987 | 10.7% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 11.0% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 11.0% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 9.8% | -11.0% |
| 1991 | 10.1% | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 9.3% | -7.7% |
| 1993 | 10.2% | +9.6% |
| 1994 | 11.1% | +8.6% |
| 1995 | 11.7% | +5.2% |
| 1996 | 11.9% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 12.0% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 12.1% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 11.7% | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 10.8% | -7.3% |
| 2001 | 9.6% | -11.4% |
| 2002 | 9.2% | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 8.9% | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 7.9% | -11.3% |
| 2005 | 7.7% | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 6.8% | -12.3% |
| 2007 | 6.1% | -10.3% |
| 2008 | 6.7% | +10.6% |
| 2009 | 7.7% | +15.3% |
| 2010 | 8.4% | +7.9% |
| 2011 | 8.4% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 10.7% | +27.5% |
| 2013 | 12.1% | +14.0% |
| 2014 | 12.7% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 11.9% | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 11.7% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 11.2% | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 10.5% | -6.0% |
| 2019 | 9.9% | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 9.2% | -7.0% |
| 2021 | 9.5% | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 8.1% | -15.0% |
| 2023 | 7.6% | -5.5% |
| 2024 | 6.5% | -14.8% |
| 2025 | 6.1% | -6.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.3% | 5.4% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.5% | 7.5% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.0% | 9.3% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.1% | 6.1% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.7% | 8.4% | 12.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.8% | 6.1% | 9.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More work & labour data for Italy
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.6708 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6794 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.662 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.03 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.0094 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 44,671 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 10,422 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 17,512 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 17,865 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 35,377 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Italy?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Italy was 6.1% 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 12.7% in 2014.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 1974.
- How does Italy rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Italy ranks 76th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Italy 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 — 56 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.