Unemployment remains steady at 5.9 per cent in the EU, while it rises to 6.2 per cent in the eurozone

Brussels – The eurozone—which, following Bulgaria’s accession on 1 January 2026, comprises 21 of the 27 Member States of the European Union—recorded, in February, an unemployment rate of 6.2 per cent, slightly up from 6.1 per cent in January, but slightly down from 6.3 per cent in February 2025. The picture is similar when considering figures for the EU as a whole: in February, the EU unemployment rate stood at 5.9 per cent, unchanged from January 2026 and down from 6.0 per cent in February 2025. The figures were released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, which estimates that, in absolute terms, 13.118 million people in the EU, of whom 10.919 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in February 2026. Compared with January, unemployment rose by 137,000 in the EU and by 93,000 in the euro area.

The youth unemployment rate in the EU has also risen, climbing from 15.2 per cent in January to 15.3 per cent in February. This increase means that, in just one month, a further 18,000 young people (under 25) have found themselves on the margins of the European labour market. And, when comparing the figures with those from the previous year, it is clear that the EU now has 5,000 more young people out of work than in February 2025.

The gender gap is becoming apparent once again. Compared with January 2026, while male unemployment remains stable (5.7 per cent in the EU and 6.0 per cent in the euro area), female unemployment has risen slightly again, reaching 6.1 per cent at the EU level and 6.4 per cent in the euro area: both figures have risen by 0.1 percentage points compared with the first month of 2026.

In February 2026, the worst-performing countries were Finland (10.4 per cent), Spain (9.8 per cent), Greece and Sweden (both 8.5 per cent), followed by Denmark (7.5 per cent). Countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, and Bulgaria continue to have the lowest unemployment rates, all standing at 3.2 per cent. Germany follows closely behind at 4.0 per cent. The worst record for youth unemployment is held by Spain (23.8 per cent), closely followed by Sweden (23.2 per cent) and Finland (23.1 per cent).

Italy stands below both the EU and eurozone averages, with an unemployment rate of 5.3 per cent in February 2026, a slight increase from 5.2 per cent in January. Compared with a year ago, the improvement is more substantial: the rate has fallen from 6.2 per cent to 5.3 per cent. As for those under 25, in just one month, youth unemployment in Italy fell from 18.5 per cent to 17.6 per cent. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for Italian women in February worsened more sharply, rising to 5.8 per cent (+0.3 percentage points from January), compared with 5.0 per cent for men (+0.1 percentage points).