Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Netherlands
Netherlands: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 3.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Netherlands, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Netherlands stood at 3.9%.
The figure is up 4.7% on the previous year and down 43.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Netherlands peaked at 7.4% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 2001.
That places Netherlands 121st out of 187 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, total (% of total labor force) in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.3% | — |
| 1992 | 5.6% | -23.7% |
| 1993 | 6.3% | +13.2% |
| 1994 | 7.2% | +13.9% |
| 1995 | 7.2% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 6.4% | -10.3% |
| 1997 | 5.5% | -14.2% |
| 1998 | 4.4% | -20.3% |
| 1999 | 3.6% | -17.6% |
| 2000 | 2.7% | -24.8% |
| 2001 | 2.1% | -22.2% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | +20.5% |
| 2003 | 3.6% | +40.7% |
| 2004 | 4.6% | +29.3% |
| 2005 | 5.9% | +26.4% |
| 2006 | 5.0% | -14.7% |
| 2007 | 4.2% | -17.1% |
| 2008 | 3.7% | -11.9% |
| 2009 | 4.4% | +19.0% |
| 2010 | 5.0% | +14.7% |
| 2011 | 5.0% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 5.8% | +17.0% |
| 2013 | 7.2% | +24.4% |
| 2014 | 7.4% | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 6.9% | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 6.0% | -12.6% |
| 2017 | 4.8% | -19.5% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | -20.8% |
| 2019 | 3.4% | -11.8% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | +13.1% |
| 2021 | 4.2% | +10.2% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -16.2% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 3.7% | +4.7% |
| 2025 | 3.9% | +4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.9% | 3.6% | 7.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.9% | 2.1% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.5% | 3.4% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 3.5% | 4.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More education data for Netherlands
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 240,049 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.14 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.0937 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.064 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.0937 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Netherlands?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Netherlands was 3.9% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 7.4% in 2014.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 2001.
- How does Netherlands rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Netherlands ranks 121st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) 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 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.