Unemployment rate, ages 15 to 74 in Germany

The unemployment rate in Germany was 3.8% of the labour force in 2025. The value for 2025 is the highest since 2016. The source marks a break in the series within this span, so values before and after it may not be fully comparable.

Measure: Unemployment rate, ages 15 to 74 Unit: % of the labour force Data: 2009 to 2025 Source: Eurostat
Germany, 2025 3.8% % of the labour force
Change from 2024 +0.3percentage points 2024: 3.5%
European Union, 2025 6.0% Official aggregate
Median of European Union (27 countries), 2025 6.0% Middle value of 27 countries
Position in 2025 30th of 34 See the full ranking

Unemployment rate, ages 15 to 74 in Germany over time

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Germany European Union ×

% of the labour force. Source: Eurostat. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.

Unemployment rate, ages 15 to 74 (% of the labour force), 2009 to 2025
Period GermanyEuropean Union
2025 3.8% 6.0%
2024 3.5% 6.0%
2023 3.1% 6.1%
2022 3.1% 6.2%
2021 3.6% 7.1%
2020 3.6%b (break in time series) 7.2%
2019 2.9% 6.8%
2018 3.2% 7.4%
2017 3.5% 8.3%
2016 3.9% 9.3%
2015 4.4% 10.2%
2014 4.7% 11.0%
2013 4.9% 11.6%
2012 5.1% 11.1%
2011 5.5%b (break in time series) 10.1%
2010 6.6%b (break in time series) 10.1%
2009 7.3% 9.3%

Flags: b break in time series . A dash means no value was published.

In short

  • That is a change of +0.3 percentage points from 3.5% in 2024.
  • Since 2015, when it was 4.4%, the figure has changed by −0.6 percentage points. The source marks a break in the series during this period, so part of the change may come from a change in method.
  • Among the 34 countries with data for 2025, Germany has the 30th highest value.
  • The figure for the European Union in 2025 was 6.0%.

Source and dates

Original producer
Eurostat
Source
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union
Dataset or series code
une_rt_a · dataset details · view at source
Selection
freq=A age=Y15-74 unit=PC_ACT
Observation period
2009 to 2025 for Germany
Provider update
6 November 2026
Retrieved
9 November 2026
Published here
9 November 2026
Licence
Eurostat reuse policy (attribution)
Attribution
Source: Eurostat