site.btaEurostat: EU Unemployment Climbs to 5.9%, Bulgaria Falls to 3.8% in December 2024

Unemployment in the EU rose to 5.9% in December 2024, up from 5.8% in November, while in the eurozone, it increased to 6.3% from 6.2%. In contrast, Bulgaria’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.8%, Eurostat said here on Thursday.

YoY, the EU unemployment rate declined from 6% in December 2023, while in the eurozone, it fell from 6.5% over the same period.

Eurostat estimated that 12.978 million people in the EU, including 10.830 million in the eurozone, were unemployed in December 2024. Compared to November 2024, unemployment increased by 94,000 in the EU and by 96,000 in the eurozone. YoY, the number of unemployed decreased by 261,000 in the EU and by 266,000 in the eurozone.

In December 2024, Spain had the highest unemployment rate in the EU at 10.6%, followed by Greece (9.4%), Finland (8.7%), Sweden (8.5%), and France (7.8%). At the lower end, Czechia had the lowest unemployment rate (2.6%), followed by Malta and Poland (both at 3%), Germany (3.4%), the Netherlands (3.7%), and Bulgaria (3.8%).