Euro Area Unemployment, August 2026 — 6.4%, Unchanged From July; EU 6.1%
Eurostat (1 Oct. 2026): euro area unemployment was 6.4% in August 2026, unchanged from July and up from 6.3% a year earlier; EU 6.1%. Youth rate 15.0%; Finland highest at 10.3%.
Key figures (August 2026, released 1 October 2026)
| Indicator (seasonally adjusted) | Previous (July 2026) | Current (August 2026) | Change vs previous | Change vs year ago | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Euro area unemployment rate | 6.4% | 6.4% | stable | +0.1 pp (6.3% in Aug 2025) | Issuer record (Eurostat); pp change is this page's calculation |
| EU unemployment rate | 6.1% | 6.1% | stable | +0.1 pp (6.0% in Aug 2025) | Issuer record (Eurostat); pp change is this page's calculation |
| Unemployed persons, euro area | 11.331 million | 11.357 million | +26 thousand | +267 thousand | Issuer record (Eurostat) |
| Unemployed persons, EU | 13.588 million | 13.600 million | +12 thousand | +348 thousand | Issuer record (Eurostat) |
| Youth (under 25) rate, euro area | 15.1% | 15.0% | -0.1 pp | +0.2 pp (14.8% in Aug 2025) | Issuer record (Eurostat); pp change is this page's calculation |
| Youth (under 25) rate, EU | 15.3% | 15.4% | +0.1 pp | +0.1 pp (15.3% in Aug 2025) | Issuer record (Eurostat); pp change is this page's calculation |
| Women / men, euro area | 6.7% / 6.2% | 6.7% / 6.2% | both stable | +0.2 / +0.1 pp (6.5% / 6.1%) | Issuer record (Eurostat); pp change is this page's calculation |
As of 6 October 2026 (KST), data for August 2026 released by Eurostat on 1 October 2026. Primary source: Eurostat Euro indicators, "Euro area unemployment at 6.4%" — https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-euro-indicators/w/3-01102026-ap[1]
In three lines 1. Euro area unemployment was 6.4% in August 2026, stable on July and 0.1 pp above August 2025; the EU rate was 6.1%. 2. 11.357 million people were unemployed in the euro area (13.600 million in the EU), 26 thousand more than in July. 3. Youth unemployment was 15.0% in the euro area and 15.4% in the EU; Finland (10.3%) and Spain (10.0%) had the highest national rates.[1]
Terms: figures come from Eurostat's seasonally adjusted series; for some countries Eurostat uses the trend component (Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden) or 3-month moving averages (Estonia, Portugal), and the youth figures for Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania and Slovenia are quarterly.Stable is Eurostat's term; the rate shown is the same as in the previous month. pp = percentage points. The euro area here is EA21 (including Bulgaria); the EU is EU27. Unemployed = aged 15 to 74, without work, available within two weeks and actively seeking in the previous four weeks (ILO definition).[1]
Unemployment rate by Member State (seasonally adjusted, %)
| Member State | Aug 2025 (%) | Jul 2026 (%) | Aug 2026 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finland (euro area) | 9.9 | 10.3 | 10.3 |
| Spain (euro area) | 10.5 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Sweden | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| France (euro area) | 7.8 | 8.3 | 8.2 |
| Estonia (euro area) | 7.2 | 7.9 | 8.0 |
| Greece (euro area) | 8.8 | 7.9 | 7.4 |
| Latvia (euro area) | 7.2 | 7.3 | 7.3 |
| Luxembourg (euro area) | 6.4 | 7.1 | 7.3 |
| Austria (euro area) | 6.0 | 6.2 | 6.7 |
| Romania | 6.1 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| Italy (euro area) | 5.7 | 6.0 | 6.2 |
| Lithuania (euro area) | 6.9 | 6.2 | 6.1 |
| Belgium (euro area) | 6.1 | 6.0 | 5.9 |
| Denmark | 6.5 | 6.7 | 5.9 |
| Portugal (euro area) | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| Slovakia (euro area) | 5.4 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| Ireland (euro area) | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Hungary | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.7 |
| Croatia (euro area) | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.3 |
| Cyprus (euro area) | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.1 |
| Germany (euro area) | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Netherlands (euro area) | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Bulgaria (euro area) | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Malta (euro area) | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| Poland | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| Slovenia (euro area) | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.4 |
| Czechia | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.2 |
Sorted by the August 2026 rate (this page's ordering of Eurostat's table). When a country's latest month is missing, the EU and euro area aggregates use its latest available data.[1]
From July to August 2026 the largest rise was in Austria (6.2% to 6.7%, +0.5 pp) and the largest falls were in Denmark (6.7% to 5.9%, -0.8 pp) and Greece (7.9% to 7.4%, -0.5 pp) — this page's calculation from the table.[1]
Youth unemployment (under 25, seasonally adjusted, %)
| Area | Aug 2025 | Jul 2026 | Aug 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euro area | 14.8 | 15.1 | 15.0 |
| EU | 15.3 | 15.3 | 15.4 |
| Germany | 7.0 | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| France | 19.4 | 20.8 | 20.6 |
| Italy | 19.8 | 19.7 | 20.3 |
| Spain | 25.0 | 22.8 | 22.7 |
| Sweden | 24.1 | 23.9 | 23.8 |
2.391 million under-25s were unemployed in the euro area and 2.973 million in the EU. Compared with July, youth unemployment fell by 9 thousand in the euro area and rose by 13 thousand in the EU. For Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania and Slovenia Eurostat's youth figures are quarterly.[1]
Reading in pairs
Rate vs number of people. The euro area rate stayed at 6.4% while the number unemployed rose by 26 thousand. The rate is unemployed people as a share of the labour force (employed plus unemployed), shown to one decimal place, so small changes in the count need not move it.[1]
Youth unemployment rate vs share of young people out of work. The 15.0% youth rate is measured against the labour force aged 15 to 24, not all young people. Eurostat: "the youth unemployment rate should not be interpreted as the share of jobless people in the overall youth population."[1]
Euro area vs EU. The euro area (EA21: 21 countries including Bulgaria) rate is 6.4%; the EU27 rate is 6.1%. The six EU members outside the euro area include Poland (3.4%) and Czechia (3.2%), both below the euro area rate; Sweden (8.7%) is above it.[1]
Monthly seasonally adjusted vs smoothed series. For Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden Eurostat uses the trend component, and for Estonia and Portugal 3-month moving averages, instead of pure monthly seasonally adjusted data.[1]
Revisions and the next release
Compared with the 1 September 2026 release, the July 2026 rates for the euro area and the EU were unchanged. Estonia's July rate was revised up by 1.0 pp and Italy's by 0.2 pp; Finland's was revised down by 0.2 pp.[1]
Next release: 30 October 2026. EU Labour Force Survey data for the third quarter of 2026: 11 December 2026.[1]
For comparison, the same Eurostat table shows a United States rate of 4.1% in August 2026.[1]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
Eurostat: the euro area seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.4% in August 2026, stable compared with July 2026 and up from 6.3% in August 2025; the EU rate was 6.1%, stable, up from 6.0%.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
13.600 million persons in the EU, of whom 11.357 million in the euro area, were unemployed in August 2026; compared with July, unemployment rose by 12 thousand in the EU and 26 thousand in the euro area, and compared with August 2025 by 348 thousand and 267 thousand.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
The youth (under 25) unemployment rate was 15.0% in the euro area (15.1% in July) and 15.4% in the EU (15.3% in July); 2.391 million young people were unemployed in the euro area and 2.973 million in the EU.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
In the euro area the unemployment rate was 6.7% for women and 6.2% for men in August 2026; in the EU, 6.4% and 5.9%; all stable compared with July.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Among Member States, August 2026 rates included Finland 10.3%, Spain 10.0%, Sweden 8.7%, France 8.2%, Italy 6.2%, Germany 4.0%, Poland 3.4%, Malta 3.4%, Slovenia 3.4% and Czechia 3.2%.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Compared with the 1 September 2026 release, July 2026 rates for the euro area and the EU were unchanged; Estonia was revised up by 1.0 pp, Italy up by 0.2 pp and Finland down by 0.2 pp.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Eurostat uses the ILO definition: unemployed persons are aged 15 to 74, without work, available to start within two weeks and have actively sought work in the previous four weeks. The youth rate uses the labour force aged 15 to 24 as its base.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
The next Eurostat unemployment release is scheduled for 30 October 2026; EU-LFS data for the third quarter of 2026 are due on 11 December 2026.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
In August 2026 the highest unemployment rates among EU Member States were Finland (10.3%) and Spain (10.0%); the lowest was Czechia (3.2%), followed by Malta, Poland and Slovenia (3.4% each).[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's ordering of the Eurostat Member State table
From July to August 2026 the largest monthly rise among EU Member States was Austria's (+0.5 pp, to 6.7%) and the largest fall Denmark's (-0.8 pp, to 5.9%).[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from the Eurostat Member State table
Year on year, the euro area unemployment rate is 0.1 pp higher and the euro area youth rate 0.2 pp higher (14.8% in August 2025).[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from the Eurostat release
Timeline
- 2026-09-01
Eurostat publishes July 2026 unemployment (rates later confirmed unchanged for the euro area and EU).[1]
- 2026-10-01
Eurostat publishes August 2026 unemployment: euro area 6.4%, EU 6.1%.[1]
- 2026-10-30
Next scheduled Eurostat unemployment release.[1]
- 2026-12-11
Scheduled release of EU-LFS data for the third quarter of 2026.[1]
What this page could not establish
These are questions this page tried to answer and could not. The gaps are left open rather than filled with a guess.- September 2026 unemployment figures
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 10/06/2026, 02:00
- Body characters
- 5,962
- Sources
- 1 source adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 10/06/2026, 12:42
- Verdict
- Revision required
Show revision history (4)
| 10/06/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 10/06/2026 | First version. Read the Eurostat release of 1 October 2026 in full, including all three tables, the revision notes, country notes and methods; every quoted sentence and each Member State row used was machine-matched against the release text. | Updated |
| 10/06/2026 | Pre-publication review findings checked against the source; the confirmed one applied: the terms note now states Eurostat's exceptions (trend components, 3-month moving averages, quarterly youth series) instead of saying all figures are seasonally adjusted. | Updated |
| 10/06/2026 | Independent pre-publication review (ChatGPT) against the sources; findings confirmed by the source text were applied. | Updated |
Frequently asked
What is the eurozone unemployment rate?
6.4% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted), unchanged from July and up from 6.3% in August 2025. Eurostat released it on 1 October 2026.[1]
What is the EU unemployment rate?
6.1% in August 2026, unchanged from July and up from 6.0% a year earlier.[1]
Which EU country has the highest unemployment rate?
Finland, at 10.3% in August 2026, followed by Spain at 10.0% (this page's reading of the Eurostat table).[1]
Which EU country has the lowest unemployment rate?
Czechia, at 3.2% in August 2026; Malta, Poland and Slovenia were at 3.4%.[1]
What is youth unemployment in the euro area?
15.0% for under-25s in August 2026, down from 15.1% in July; the EU youth rate was 15.4%. It measures unemployed under-25s as a share of the labour force of that age, not of all young people.[1]
How many people are unemployed in the euro area?
11.357 million in August 2026, 26 thousand more than in July; 13.600 million in the EU.[1]
What is Spain's unemployment rate?
10.0% in August 2026, unchanged from July and down from 10.5% in August 2025; Spain's youth rate was 22.7%.[1]
What is Germany's unemployment rate on the Eurostat measure?
4.0% in August 2026, unchanged from July. For Germany Eurostat uses the trend component rather than the monthly seasonally adjusted series.[1]
When is the next euro area unemployment release?
30 October 2026, according to the release of 1 October 2026.[1]
Official links
- Official Eurostat — Euro indicators