Germany has one of the lowest unemployment rates within the EU-27. 3.5% of the labour force (15- to 74-year-olds) were unemployed in February 2025. The lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Poland (2.6%), Czechia and Malta (each 2.7%) and Slovenia (3.2%).
In the EU-27 a total of 12.7 million citizens were without employment in Februar 2025. This represents an unemployment rate of 5.7%. The euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 6.1% and remained higher than the EU level. The highest unemployment rates were recorded in Spain (10.4%) and Sweden (9.0%).
The youth unemployment rate was 14.5% in the EU. The lowest rates were observed in Germany with 6.3%, the Netherlands (8.8%) and Malta (9.0%), while the highest were recorded in Spain (25.5%) and Sweden (25.1%).
Data regarding unemployment in Europe can be found in the Eurostat Database and in an edition of Statistics Explained.
More detailed information on the German labour market is available on the corresponding national section of the website. The unemployment rates were published by the EU Statistics Office, Eurostat, in accordance with ILO standards.