Unemployment statistics at regional level

Data extracted in April 2022.

Next article update: April 2023.

Highlights

In 2021, unemployment rates (for people aged 15-74) in the EU regions ranged from 2.1 % in Central Transdanubia (Hungary) and Warsaw-Capital (Poland) to 26.6 % in Ceuta (Spain).

The lowest regional male unemployment rate in 2021, i.e. 1.8 %, was recorded in the Czech regions of Central Moravia, South-East, Central Bohemia and Prague.

In 2021, the Dutch region of North Brabant (15.6 %) and the Danish regions of South Denmark (16.9 %) and Central Jutland (17.8 %) recorded the lowest shares of long-term unemployment for people aged 15-74.

Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfu3rt)

This article provides an overview of regional unemployment rates across the 242 NUTS 2 regions of the EU Member States in 2021. Eurostat compiles these rates based on data from the EU Labour Force Survey. We also present unemployment rates for the NUTS 2 regions of Norway and Switzerland in the maps.

We analyse regional male and female unemployment rates for people aged 15-74 as well as the regional unemployment rates for young people aged 15-29. The latter is a key input for the European Year of Youth. We also examine the long-term unemployment share for each region.

Full article

Regional unemployment rates and the EU average

Unemployment rates in the EU regions ranged from 2.1 % to 26.6 % in 2021

In 2021, when measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic remained in place across the EU, the unemployment rate of people aged 15-74 continued to vary widely across the EU’s NUTS2 regions. The lowest unemployment rate was recorded in the Polish region of Warsaw-Capital and the Hungarian region of Central Transdanubia (both 2.1 %), followed by the Polish region Wielkopolskie, the Hungarian region of West Transdanubia and the Czech region of Central Moravia (all three 2.2 %), as well as the Czech region of Prague and the Polish region of Pomorskie (both 2.3 %). The Czech regions of South-West, South-East and North-East (all three 2.4 %) were also among the top 10 regions with the lowest unemployment rates.

Map 1: Unemployment rate, aged 15-74, 2021
(in % of the labour force)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfu3rt)

At the other end of the scale, the highest unemployment rates were registered in the Spanish regions of Ceuta (26.6 %), Canary Islands (23.2 %) and Andalusia (21.7 %), followed by West Macedonia in Greece (19.8 %) and two other Spanish regions: Melilla (19.8 %) and Extremadura (19.5 %). The remaining top 10 regions with the highest unemployment were Campania (19.3 %) and Sicily (18.7 %) in Italy as well as South Aegean (18.8 %) and East Macedonia, Thrace (18.5 %) in Greece.

Around a sixth of EU regions had an unemployment rate lower than 3.5 %

In 2021, among the 229 EU regions for which data are available, 36 had an unemployment rate (for people aged 15-74) lower than 3.5 %, which is half the EU average (7.0 %). They included 14 regions in Germany, 7 in Poland, 6 in Czechia, 4 in Hungary, 2 in Belgium and 1 each in the Netherlands, Romania and Slovakia (see Map 1).

By contrast, 25 regions had an unemployment rate of at least 14 %, double that of the EU: 9 regions were in Greece and Spain, 4 in Italy and 3 in France (all outermost regions).

Regional unemployment rates differ between men and women

Regions with the highest and lowest unemployment rates vary across sex. In 2021, the 10 highest male unemployment rates were in Spanish, French (outermost), Italian and Greek regions, and the 3 regions with the highest male unemployment rates were the Spanish regions of Canary Islands (22.2 %) and Ceuta (21.9 %), and the French region of Réunion (18.8 %)(see Figure 1). The highest female unemployment rates were mostly in Spanish and Greek regions, and the 3 with the highest female unemployment rates were the Spanish region of Ceuta (32.3 %), Central Greece (Sterea Ellada)(25.6 %), and the Spanish region of Andalusia (25.4 %).

Figure 1: Regions with lowest and highest unemployment rates by sex, age 15-74, 2021
(in % of the labour force)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfu3rt)

By contrast, the lowest unemployment rates were mostly recorded in Czechia, Hungary and Poland for men, and in Poland, Hungary, Czechia and Germany for women. The Czech regions of Central Moravia, South-East, Central Bohemia and Prague (all 1.8 %) had the lowest male unemployment rates in 2021. The lowest female unemployment rates were recorded in the Polish region Warsaw-Capital (1.5 %), the Romanian region Bucharest-Ilfov and the Hungarian region Central Transdanubia (both 2.2 %), followed by the Polish region Wielkopolskie and the Hungarian region West Transdanubia (both 2.3 %). By way of comparison, the EU unemployment rate was 6.7 % for men and 7.4 % for women in 2021.

Regional differences more pronounced in Spain, Italy and France

When comparing the unemployment rates across regions in each country (see Figure 2), Spain has the largest gap between its regions, with the highest and lowest unemployment rates in 2021; this gap was 16.8 percentage point (pp.). Italy and France followed with gaps of 15.5 pp. and 12.1 pp. respectively.

Figure 2: Regional unemployment in EU Member States, age 15-74, 2021
(in % of the labour force)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfu3rt)

Figure 2 also shows that all Spanish and Greek regions had an unemployment rate above the EU average (7.0 %). By contrast, unemployment was below the EU average for all regions in Czechia, Poland, Malta (one region), Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Denmark, Luxembourg (one region), Estonia (one region) and Ireland.

Western Greece saw the largest drop in unemployment between 2020 and 2021: -5.8 pp.

EU unemployment fell from 7.2 % in 2020 to 7.0 % in 2021 – a slight decrease of 0.2 pp. With the COVID-19 outbreak, EU unemployment increased by 0.4 pp. in 1 year, from 6.8 % in 2019. The unemployment rate also increased in 2020 in the majority of the EU NUTS 2 regions compared with 2019.

Table 1: Regions with highest decreases and increases in the unemployment rate for people aged 15-74 between 2020 (break-corrected data) and 2021
(in percentage points)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfu3rt)

Compared with 2020, the highest increases in the unemployment rate were recorded in the Romanian regions of North-East and South-West Oltenia (both +3.1 pp.) and in the French region of Languedoc-Roussillon (+2.2 pp.). On the other hand, the three highest decreases were in Western Greece (-5.8 pp.), the Bulgarian region of North-West (-4.4.pp.) and the Greek region of Epirus (-4.2 pp.).

Regional variations in youth unemployment

Youth unemployment rates higher in Spanish, Greek and Italian regions

In 2021, the average unemployment rate for young people aged 15-29 in the EU was 13.0 %, a 0.9 pp. decrease over 2020. However, there are marked regional differences in the unemployment rates for young people (see Map 2), ranging from 3.7 % to 56.0 % in 2021.

Map 2: Unemployment rate, aged 15-29, 2021
(in % of the labour force)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfu3rt)

The lowest youth unemployment rates were recorded in the Czech region of South-West (3.7 %), the Polish region of Wielkopolskie (4.0 %) and the Czech region of Central Moravia (4.4 %). There were also low rates in South-East in Czechia and in West Transdanubia in Hungary (both 4.5 %).

Figure 3: Top 10 regions with the highest youth unemployment rates, age 15-29, 2021
(in % of the labour force)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfu3rt)

By contrast, the highest youth unemployment rate was recorded in the Spanish region of Ceuta (56.0 %), followed by the two Greek regions East Macedonia, Thrace (45.1 %) and West Macedonia (42.3 %), and the Spanish region of Melilla (41.9 %) (see Figure 3). The Italian regions of Sicily (40.1 %), Campania (37.7 %) and Calabria (37.2 %) as well as the Greek regions Central Greece (Sterea Ellada) (38.9 %) and Thessaly (36.7 %), and Canary Islands in Spain (39.5 %) are also in the top 10 regions with the highest unemployment rates for young people aged 15-29.

Compared with 2020, unemployment for people aged 15-29 in 2021 decreased the most in the Greek regions of Ionian Islands, Epirus and North Aegean

Five of the top 10 regions with the highest decreases in the unemployment rate for young people aged 15-29 between 2020 and 2021 are in Greece: the Ionian Islands (-14.1 pp.), Epirus (-13.9 pp.), North Aegean (-11.4 pp.), Central Greece (Sterea Ellada) (-9.2 pp.) and Western Greece (-8.5 pp.)(see Table 2). The other five regions are Melilla (-11.2 pp.) in Spain, Champagne-Ardenne (-9.6 pp.) in France, North-West (-8.6 pp.) in Bulgaria, Centre (-8.4 pp.) in Romania and Cantabria (-8.3 pp.) in Spain.

Table 2: Regions with highest decreases and increases in the unemployment rate for people aged 15-29 between 2020 (break-corrected data) and 2021
(in percentage points)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfu3rt)

On the other hand, the highest increases were in the Italian region Molise (+7.7 pp.), the Spanish region Ceuta (+6.7 pp.), the Romanian region North-East (+5.8 pp.), North-Central Sweden (+5.6 pp.), Belgian Hainaut (+4.9 pp.), French Auvergne and Spanish Rioja (both +4.7 pp.), Croatian Jadranska (+4.3 pp.), Italian Apulia (+3.6 pp.), Polish Łódzkie and the Spanish Canary Islands (both +3.5 pp.).

Long term unemployment in the EU regions

South Europe has higher shares of long-term unemployment than EU average

The long-term unemployment share, defined as the percentage of unemployed people who have been unemployed for 12 months or more, stood at 39.2 % on average in the EU (for people aged 15-74) in 2021, 5.1 pp. higher than the year before (34.1 %).

The EU regions with the highest shares of long-term unemployment in 2021 were in Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Spain – almost all countries from South Europe (see Map 3).

Map 3: Long-term unemployment rate, aged 15-74, 2021
(in % of total unemployment)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfu2ltu)

In the detailed ranking, the highest shares were recorded by Central Greece (Sterea Ellada) (79.0 %) and East Macedonia, Thrace (76.2 %) in Greece, North-West (71.3 %) in Bulgaria and Sicily (70.0 %) in Italy (see Figure 4).

Figure 4: Regions with the lowest and highest long-term unemployment rates, age 15-74, 2021
(in % of total unemployment)
Source: Eurostat (lfst_r_lfu2ltu)

The EU regions with the lowest shares of long-term unemployment were, North Brabant (15.6 %), South Holland, Utrecht and Gelderland (all 18.3 %) in the Netherlands, South Denmark (16.9 %) and Central Jutland (17.8 %) in Denmark.

Source data for tables and graphs

Unemployment statistics at regional level - tables and figures

Methods and definitions

Data sources

All figures in this article are based on annual results from the EU European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS).

The EU-LFS is the largest European household sample survey providing quarterly and annual results on labour participation of people aged 15 and over as well as on persons outside the labour force. It covers residents in private households. Conscripts in military or community service are not included in the results. The EU-LFS is based on the same target population and uses the same definitions in all countries, which means that the results are comparable between countries.

With regard to the European aggregates, EU refers to the sum of the 27 EU Member States.

Definitions

The concepts and definitions used in the Labour Force Survey follow the guidelines of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The unemployment rate is defined as the percentage of unemployed persons aged 15-74 in the labour force population (which comprises the employed and unemployed persons, but excludes the persons outside the labour force).

According to the ILO recommendations, a person is deemed to be unemployed if all three of the following conditions are met:

he or she is without work during the survey reference week;
he or she is available for work, being able to take up employment within two weeks;
he or she has actively sought work over the past four weeks.

In this article, the youth unemployment rate is defined as the number of people aged 15 to 29 unemployed as a percentage of the labour force of the same age.

Being expressed as a percentage of the labour force (and not of the total population) of the same age, the youth unemployment rate should not be interpreted as the share of jobless people in the overall youth population. Youths outside the labour market (for example studying) are neither in the numerator nor the denominator.

Time series

Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 came into force on 1 January 2021 and induced a break in the LFS time series for several EU Member States. In order to monitor the evolution of unemployment despite of the break in the time series, Member States assessed the impact of the break in their country and computed impact factors or break corrected data for a set of indicators. Break corrected data are published on the Eurostat database for the LFS main indicators. For the unemployment rate of each region, a break correction similar to the one computed for the national level has been applied. In addition, for the unemployment rate of young people aged 15-29, a break correction similar to the one computed for the age group 15-24 has been applied.

Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS)

These data are based on the 2021 version of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) as set out in the amending Commission Delegated Regulation 2019/1755 of 08 August 2019 . NUTS provides a uniform, consistent breakdown of territorial units for the production of European regional statistics. NUTS 2021 applies since 1 January 2021.

NUTS 2021 level 2 has 242 regions in EU Member States: Belgium (11), Bulgaria (6), Czechia (8), Denmark (5), Germany (38), Ireland (3), Greece (13), Spain (19), France (27), Croatia (4), Italy (21), Lithuania (2), Hungary (8), the Netherlands (12), Austria (9), Poland (17), Portugal (7), Romania (8), Slovenia (2), Slovakia (4), Finland (5) and Sweden (8). Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg and Malta are all considered as single regions at NUTS 2 level.

The statistical regions in the candidate and EFTA countries follow the principles of the NUTS classification. However, there is no legal base. The data covers NUTS 2021 level 2 regions in Norway (7), Switzerland (7), Serbia (4) and Turkey (26). Iceland, Montenegro and North Macedonia are considered as single regions at NUTS level 2.

The European Union (EU) includes Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.

In the text of this article, the names of the regions are in English, while the detailed tables which can be downloaded below list regions in the national language as set out in the NUTS.

Notes on regional data reliability

• Unemployment rate 15-74 with low reliability in 2021: Freiburg (DE13), Tübingen (DE14), Mittelfranken (DE25), Swabia (DE27), Brandenburg (DE40), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (DE80), Braunschweig (DE91), Hannover (DE92), Lüneburg (DE93), Dresden (DED2), Thuringia (DEG0), Corsica (FRM0), Opolskie (PL52) and Podkarpackie (PL82).

• Unemployment rate 15-74 not available in 2021 because of very low reliability: Lower Bavaria (DE22), Oberpfalz (DE23), Oberfranken (DE24), Unterfranken (DE26), Bremen (DE50), Giessen (DE72), Kassel (DE73), Koblenz (DEB1), Trier (DEB2), Saarland (DEC0), Chemnitz (DED4), Leipzig (DED5), Lubuskie (PL43) and Åland Islands (FI20).

• Unemployment rate 15-29 with low reliability in 2021: Walloon Brabant (BE31), Luxembourg (BE34), North-West (BG31), North-Central (BG32), North-East (BG33), South-East (BG34), South-Central (BG42), Berlin (DE30), Darmstadt (DE71), Düsseldorf (DEA1), Cologne (DEA2), Ionian Islands (EL62), Ceuta (ES63), Melilla (ES64), Limousin (FRI2), French Guiana (FRY3), Grad Zagreb (HR05), Sjeverna Hrvatska (HR06), Central Transdanubia (HU21), West Transdanubia (HU22), Carinthia (AT21), Salzburg (AT32), Vorarlberg (AT34), Małopolskie (PL21), Wielkopolskie (PL41), Dolnośląskie (PL51), Kujawsko-pomorskie (PL61), Łódzkie (PL71), Lubelskie (PL81), Podkarpackie (PL82), Mazowieckie-Regional (PL92), Central Norrland (SE32).

• Unemployment rate 15-29 not available in 2021 because of very low reliability: Burgenland (AT11), Stuttgart (DE11), Karlsruhe (DE12), Freiburg (DE13), Tübingen (DE14), Upper Bavaria (DE21), Lower Bavaria (DE22), Oberpfalz (DE23), Oberfranken (DE24), Mittelfranken (DE25), Unterfranken (DE26), Swabia (DE27), Brandenburg (DE40), Bremen (DE50), Hamburg (DE60), Giessen (DE72), Kassel (DE73), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (DE80), Braunschweig (DE91), Hannover (DE92), Lüneburg (DE93), Weser-Ems (DE94), Münster (DEA3), Detmold (DEA4), Arnsberg (DEA5), Koblenz (DEB1), Trier (DEB2), Rheinhessen-Pfalz (DEB3), Saarland (DEC0), Dresden (DED2), Chemnitz (DED4), Leipzig (DED5), Saxony-Anhalt (DEE0), Schleswig-Holstein (DEF0), Thuringia (DEG0), Corsica (FRM0), Valle d’Aosta (ITC2), Zachodniopomorskie (PL42), Lubuskie (PL43), Opolskie (PL52), Warmińsko-mazurskie (PL62), Pomorskie (PL63), Świętokrzyskie (PL72), Podlaskie (PL84), Warsaw-Capital (PL91), Azores (PT20), Madeira (PT30), Åland Islands (FI20) and Bratislava (SK01).

• Long-term unemployment rate with low reliability in 2021: Limburg (BE22), East Flanders (BE23), West Flanders (BE25), Luxembourg (BE34), Zealand (DK02), North Jutland (DK05), Berlin (DE30), Darmstadt (DE71), Düsseldorf (DEA1), Cologne (DEA2), Arnsberg (DEA5), Northern and Western (IE04), Melilla (ES64), Franche-Comté (FRC2), Lower Normandy (FRD1), Limousin (FRI2), Grad Zagreb (HR05), Sjeverna Hrvatska (HR06), Autonomous Province of Bolzano (ITH1), Central Transdanubia (HU21), West Transdanubia (HU22), Zeeland (NL34), Carinthia (AT21), Styria (AT22), Małopolskie (PL21), Śląskie (PL22), Kujawsko-pomorskie (PL61), Łódzkie (PL71), Lubelskie (PL81), Podkarpackie (PL82), Mazowieckie-Regional (PL92), North-East (RO11) and West (RO42).

• Long-term unemployment rate not available because of very low reliability in 2021: Stuttgart (DE11), Karlsruhe (DE12), Freiburg (DE13), Tübingen (DE14), Upper Bavaria (DE21), Lower Bavaria (DE22), Oberpfalz (DE23), Oberfranken (DE24), Mittelfranken (DE25), Unterfranken (DE26), Swabia (DE27), Brandenburg (DE40), Bremen (DE50), Hamburg (DE60), Giessen (DE72), Kassel (DE73), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (DE80), Braunschweig (DE91), Hannover (DE92), Lüneburg (DE93), Weser-Ems (DE94), Münster (DEA3), Detmold (DEA4), Koblenz (DEB1), Trier (DEB2), Rheinhessen-Pfalz (DEB3), Saarland (DEC0), Dresden (DED2), Chemnitz (DED4), Leipzig (DED5), Saxony-Anhalt (DEE0), Schleswig-Holstein (DEF0), Thuringia (DEG0), Corsica (FRM0), Valle d’Aosta (ITC2), Drenthe (NL13), Burgenland (AT11), Salzburg (AT32), The Tyrol (AT33), Vorarlberg (AT34), Wielkopolskie (PL41), Zachodniopomorskie (PL42), Lubuskie (PL43), Dolnośląskie (PL51), Opolskie (PL52), Warmińsko-mazurskie (PL62), Pomorskie (PL63), Świętokrzyskie (PL72), Podlaskie (PL84), Warsaw-Capital (PL91), Azores (PT20), Åland Islands (FI20), Central Norrland (SE32) and Upper Norrland (SE33).

Country notes

• In Germany, from the first quarter of 2020 onwards, the Labour Force Survey is part of a new system of integrated household surveys. In this context, technical issues and the COVID-19 crisis has had a large impact on data collection processes resulting in low response rates and a biased sample. The published German data therefore show (very) low reliability in some regions. For more information, see here.

• In the Netherlands, the 2021 LFS data remain collected using a rolling reference week instead of a fixed reference week, i.e. interviewed persons are asked about the situation of the week before the interview rather than a pre-selected week.

• France: Mayotte (FRY5) is covered by a specific annual survey. As a result, data for this region should be treated with caution.

Additional methodological information

More information on the EU-LFS can be found via the online publication EU Labour Force Survey, which includes eight articles on the technical and methodological aspects of the survey. The EU-LFS methodology in force from the 2021 data collection onwards is described in methodology from 2021 onwards. Detailed information on coding lists, explanatory notes and classifications used over time can be found under documentation.

Context

The unemployment rate is an important indicator with both social and economic dimensions. Rising unemployment results in a loss of income for individuals, increased pressure with respect to government spending on social benefits and a reduction in tax revenue. From an economic perspective, unemployment may be viewed as unused labour capacity.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition of the unemployment rate is the most widely used labour market indicator because of its international comparability and relatively timely availability. Besides the unemployment rate, indicators such as employment and job vacancies also give useful insights into labour market developments.

The unemployment rate is considered to be a lagging indicator. When there is an economic downturn, it usually takes several months before the unemployment rate begins to rise. Once the economy starts to pick up again, employers usually remain cautious about hiring new staff and it may take several months before unemployment rates start to fall.

Male, youth and long-term unemployment appear to be more susceptible to cyclical economic changes than overall unemployment. Indeed, social policymakers often face the challenge of remedying these situations by designing ways to increase employment opportunities for various groups of society, those working in particular economic activities, or those living in specific regions.

Moreover, youth unemployment is one of the most pressing concerns in the area of social and employment policymaking. The performance of youth labour markets is closely linked to education and training systems and reflects, at least to some degree, a mismatch between the skills obtained by young people and the skills that are required by employers (to fill job vacancies). In recent years, several EU Member States have enacted new employment laws with the goal of liberalising labour markets, for example, by providing a wider range of possibilities for hiring staff through temporary, fixed-term or zero hours contracts. In some cases this has resulted in a division between permanent, full-time employees and those with more precarious employment contracts. The latter are often young people and people with relatively low levels of educational attainment. This may explain, at least to some degree, why young people in the labour market generally fare worse during economic downturns such as the global financial and economic crisis or the COVID-19 pandemic. During a downturn, employers are also less likely to recruit new workers (young people coming into the labour market) or to replace older workers who retire.

In order to ensure a better recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU has launched the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), which is the key instrument at the heart of NextGenerationEU to help the EU emerge stronger and more resilient from the current crisis. One of the six pillars of the RRF is dedicated to “Policies for the next generation, children and the youth, such as education and skills“. Reforms and investments in children and the youth are essential to ensure that the next generation of Europeans is not permanently affected by the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and that the generational gap is not further deepened. Going into the detail of the national recovery and resilience plans submitted so far allows identifying many relevant measures for the youth, mostly related to education and the labour market. Member States have shown a strong commitment to supporting and advancing policies for the next generation. The Commission has flagged in total 310 measures put forward by Member States whose main objective is to support children and the youth. The majority of the measures will focus on access to, and quality and inclusiveness of general, vocational, and higher education, while other measures will cover youth employment support, and most Member States have dedicated measures in these fields.