Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Europe & Central Asia
Europe & Central Asia: Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) was 5.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Europe & Central Asia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Europe & Central Asia is 5.1%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 40.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 9.9% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 5.1%, in 2025.
Europe & Central Asia ranks 16th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Europe & Central Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.3% | — |
| 1992 | 7.0% | +10.5% |
| 1993 | 8.2% | +16.9% |
| 1994 | 9.1% | +11.4% |
| 1995 | 9.3% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 9.6% | +3.7% |
| 1997 | 9.8% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 9.9% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 9.9% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 9.0% | -9.0% |
| 2001 | 8.6% | -4.4% |
| 2002 | 8.7% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 8.8% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 8.8% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 8.4% | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 7.9% | -6.4% |
| 2007 | 7.0% | -10.8% |
| 2008 | 7.0% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 9.3% | +33.1% |
| 2010 | 9.3% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 8.9% | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 9.1% | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 9.3% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 9.0% | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 8.6% | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 8.1% | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 7.4% | -7.8% |
| 2018 | 6.8% | -8.8% |
| 2019 | 6.5% | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 7.0% | +7.4% |
| 2021 | 6.7% | -4.5% |
| 2022 | 5.6% | -16.6% |
| 2023 | 5.3% | -5.4% |
| 2024 | 5.1% | -2.7% |
| 2025 | 5.1% | -0.6% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Europe & Central Asia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +33.1% | 7.0% | 9.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.8% | 6.3% | 9.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.3% | 7.0% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.3% | 6.5% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.8% | 5.1% | 7.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia
More education data for Europe & Central Asia
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 3.52 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 83.79 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 52.35 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0527 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 17.2% (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0564 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 64.3% (2025)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Europe & Central Asia?
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) in Europe & Central Asia was 5.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 9.9% in 1998.
- What is the lowest unemployment, male (% of male labor force) recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.1% in 2025.
- How does Europe & Central Asia rank for unemployment, male (% of male labor force)?
- Europe & Central Asia ranks 16th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, male (% of male labor force) rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 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.