3 July 2026 - Germany has one of the lowest unemployment rates within the EU-27. 3.8% of the labour force (15- to 74-year-olds) were unemployed in May 2026. The lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Bulgaria and Czechia (2.9% each), Cyrpus and Poland (3.1% each).
In the EU-27 a total of 13.2 million citizens were without employment in May 2026. This represents an unemployment rate of 5.9%. The highest unemployment rates were recorded in Finland (10.8%) and Spain (10.3%).
The youth unemployment rate was 15.2% in the EU. The lowest rates were observed in Germany (7.0%) and Austria (8.0%), while the highest were recorded in Finland (26.5%) und Sweden (24.4%).
Data regarding unemployment in Europe can be found in the Eurostat Database and in an edition of Statistics Explained. The unemployment rates were published by the EU Statistics Office, Eurostat, in accordance with ILO standards. Last updated 3 July 2026.