Unemployment international comparisons: Economic indicators

Economic indicators are quick-read summaries of the latest data focusing on different aspects of the UK economy. The full suite of indicators can be found on the main Economic Indicators page.

The OECD produces harmonised unemployment rates for OECD members based on the ILO definition of unemployment.

The UK harmonised unemployment rate for Q4 2025 was 5.2%. This was above Germany (3.8%) but below France (7.9%). Q4 data is not available for the US due to the federal government shutdown.

The Eurozone’s rate was 6.3% in Q4 2025. Due to the missing data for the US, Q4 figures are not available for the G7 or the OECD.

Finland had the highest unemployment rate out of the OECD member states in Q4 2025 at 10.4%, followed by Spain at 10.1%. Japan and Mexico had the lowest at 2.6%.

Youth (aged 15 to 24) unemployment is a major issue in many developed economies at present. In Q4 2025 the youth unemployment rate was 24.6% in Sweden, and it was also 20% or over in Spain (23.8%), Finland (23.7%) and Chile (22.6%). It was 16.1% in the UK.

This page is updated when new data is published. The next source updates will be:

• OECD, Harmonised Unemployment Rates, 22 May 2026