UK unemployment compared with EU countries
International Monetary Fund figures put the UK's unemployment rate at 4.9% in 2025, the 16th-highest of the UK and 27 EU countries with a figure for that year. Spain had the highest (10.5%) and Czechia the lowest (2.8%). The simple average across the 28 was 5.7%, a difference of 0.8 percentage points from the UK's figure.
On the OECD's latest monthly figures, the UK's unemployment rate was 4.9% in June 2026, the joint 17th-highest of the 26 countries in this table with a figure for that month.
| Rank | Country | 2025 (%) | 2016 | Latest month (OECD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain UK v Spain | 10.5% | 19.6% | 10.0% August 2026 |
| 2 | Finland UK v Finland | 9.7% | 9.0% | 9.9% August 2026 |
| 3= | Greece UK v Greece | 8.9% | 23.6% | 7.4% August 2026 |
| 3= | Sweden UK v Sweden | 8.9% | 7.1% | 8.9% August 2026 |
| 5 | France UK v France | 7.7% | 10.1% | 8.2% August 2026 |
| 6 | Estonia UK v Estonia | 7.4% | 6.8% | 8.0% August 2026 |
| 7= | Latvia UK v Latvia | 6.9% | 9.6% | 7.3% August 2026 |
| 7= | Lithuania UK v Lithuania | 6.9% | 7.9% | 6.1% August 2026 |
| 9 | Belgium UK v Belgium | 6.2% | 7.8% | 5.9% August 2026 |
| 10= | Italy UK v Italy | 6.1% | 11.7% | 6.2% August 2026 |
| 10= | Romania UK v Romania | 6.1% | 7.2% | 6.4% August 2026 |
| 12= | Luxembourg UK v Luxembourg | 6.0% | 6.3% | 7.3% August 2026 |
| 12= | Portugal UK v Portugal | 6.0% | 11.3% | 5.7% August 2026 |
| 14 | Austria UK v Austria | 5.7% | 6.5% | 6.7% August 2026 |
| 15 | Slovakia UK v Slovakia | 5.4% | 9.7% | 5.7% August 2026 |
| 16 | United Kingdom | 4.9% | 4.9% | 4.9% June 2026 |
| 17 | Ireland UK v Ireland | 4.7% | 8.4% | 5.0% August 2026 |
| 18 | Croatia UK v Croatia | 4.5% | 15.0% | 4.3% August 2026 |
| 19= | Cyprus UK v Cyprus | 4.4% | 13.0% | – |
| 19= | Hungary UK v Hungary | 4.4% | 5.0% | 4.7% August 2026 |
| 21= | Netherlands UK v Netherlands | 3.9% | 7.0% | 4.0% August 2026 |
| 21= | Slovenia UK v Slovenia | 3.9% | 8.0% | 3.4% August 2026 |
| 23 | Germany UK v Germany | 3.8% | 3.9% | 4.0% August 2026 |
| 24 | Bulgaria UK v Bulgaria | 3.6% | 7.7% | 3.5% August 2026 |
| 25 | Poland UK v Poland | 3.1% | 6.2% | 3.4% August 2026 |
| 26 | Malta UK v Malta | 3.0% | 4.7% | – |
| 27 | Denmark UK v Denmark | 2.9% | 4.1% | 5.9% August 2026 |
| 28 | Czechia UK v Czechia | 2.8% | 3.9% | 3.2% August 2026 |
The UK over ten years
Over 2016 to 2025, the UK's highest value was 4.9% (2016) and its lowest 3.8% (2019).
The UK's figure was lower than the average in every year from 2016 to 2025.
In 2016 the UK ranked 24th of the 28 countries with a figure; in 2025 it ranked 16th of 28.
Eight countries had a higher figure than the UK in 2016 and a lower one in 2025: Ireland, Croatia, Cyprus, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Poland.
The IMF's projection for the UK in 2026 is 5.3%.
How the IMF measures it
The IMF's figure is the yearly average share of the labour force (people in work plus those looking for work) who are unemployed. EU countries measure it with the EU Labour Force Survey and the UK with the ONS Labour Force Survey; both follow International Labour Organization rules: without a job, looked for one in the past four weeks and able to start within two weeks. The latest-month column is the OECD's seasonally adjusted rate for people aged 15 and over.
IMF figures for recent years can include IMF staff estimates; the IMF revises them in each April and October edition.
Countries compared: The 27 EU member states, with the UK shown alongside. The table uses the latest year for which the UK and at least three-quarters of the countries the IMF covers have a figure, so every value is for the same period.
Why this differs from the UK's own figures
The ONS's unemployment rate is for people aged 16 and over and covers three months at a time, such as May to July; the OECD's monthly figure for the UK is drawn from the same survey. The IMF's figure is a yearly average. Eurostat publishes the EU's unemployment rates every month on the same ILO basis but no longer includes the UK. The ONS has said Labour Force Survey estimates should be treated with caution because fewer households respond, and it has reweighted the survey, so recent UK figures have been revised.
The UK's own latest figure, with its definition and release dates: UK unemployment rate.
Sources and receipts
Every value on this page was read from these addresses. The SHA-256 is the fingerprint of the file as downloaded, so a later change at the source can be detected.
- https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/api/v1/LUR
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook database (IMF DataMapper) · read 2026-10-14 · SHA-256
26869cca52f939f4… - https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.SDD.TPS,DSD_LFS@DF_IALFS_UNE_M,1.0/.UNE_LF_M.PT_LF_SUB._Z.Y._T.…
OECD, Infra-annual labour statistics · read 2026-10-14 · SHA-256
e6160eb2430a2fc0… - International Monetary Fund: World Economic Outlook database (IMF DataMapper)The publisher's page for this data, indicator LUR.
Common questions
Where does the UK rank for unemployment rate compared with EU countries?
Counting from the highest, the UK is 16th of 28 with 4.9% in 2025, on IMF figures.
Which country in this table has the highest unemployment rate?
Spain, at 10.5% in 2025 (International Monetary Fund).
Which country in this table has the lowest unemployment rate?
Czechia, at 2.8% in 2025 (International Monetary Fund).
What is the EU average unemployment rate?
The simple average of the 27 EU countries with figures for 2025 is 5.7%. The UK's figure is 4.9%.
How has the UK's unemployment rate changed since 2016?
It was 4.9% in 2016 and 4.9% in 2025, according to the IMF.
What is the latest monthly figure?
On the OECD's latest monthly figures, the UK's unemployment rate was 4.9% in June 2026, the joint 17th-highest of the 26 countries in this table with a figure for that month.
Is this the same as the UK's official figure?
The ONS's unemployment rate is for people aged 16 and over and covers three months at a time, such as May to July; the OECD's monthly figure for the UK is drawn from the same survey. The IMF's figure is a yearly average.
More comparisons
- UK inflation compared with EU countries
- UK unemployment compared with the G7
- UK GDP growth compared with EU countries
- UK population density compared with EU countries
Compare any two countries on GDP, inflation, unemployment, debt and life expectancy: country comparison tool.
These pages state each body's figures and the UK's position among them. They give no view on whether a figure is high or low. To report an error, send a correction request.