Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 6.8% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) recorded 6.8% for unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 23.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) peaked at 11.4% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 1991.
That places Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 9th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.5% | — |
| 1992 | 5.3% | +17.8% |
| 1993 | 5.9% | +12.6% |
| 1994 | 7.2% | +20.6% |
| 1995 | 8.6% | +19.6% |
| 1996 | 9.9% | +16.2% |
| 1997 | 10.1% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 11.0% | +8.8% |
| 1999 | 11.4% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 10.7% | -5.7% |
| 2001 | 10.6% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 10.7% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 10.3% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 10.1% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 9.6% | -5.1% |
| 2006 | 9.2% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 8.6% | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 8.6% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 10.2% | +18.7% |
| 2010 | 9.5% | -6.3% |
| 2011 | 8.9% | -6.9% |
| 2012 | 8.6% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 8.6% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 9.0% | +4.6% |
| 2015 | 9.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 9.0% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 8.9% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 8.6% | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 9.1% | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 9.3% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 9.0% | -3.4% |
| 2022 | 7.7% | -13.8% |
| 2023 | 7.2% | -6.9% |
| 2024 | 6.9% | -3.8% |
| 2025 | 6.8% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.2% | 4.5% | 11.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.9% | 8.6% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.9% | 8.6% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.8% | 6.8% | 9.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
More education data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.66 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1746 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0626 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 28.09 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 906,553 (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 22.7% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.7% (2025)
All data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) was 6.8% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 11.4% in 1999.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 1991.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 9th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, total (% of total 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.