Data / Rankings / Employment rate / EU countries

EU countries by employment rate

Sweden had the highest employment rate of 27 EU countries in 2014, at 79.6%. Greece had the lowest, at 53.1%. The median was 68.1% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 67.5%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest79.6Sweden
Lowest53.1Greece
Median68.127 EU countries
European Union (27)67.5History

All EU countries, 2014

CSVChart (SVG)

SwedenSweden: 79.6 %79.6GermanyGermany: 76.7 %76.7NetherlandsNetherlands: 76.3 %76.3EstoniaEstonia: 75 %75DenmarkDenmark: 74.7 %74.7AustriaAustria: 74.2 %74.2CzechiaCzechia: 73.5 %73.5FinlandFinland: 72.2 %72.2LuxembourgLuxembourg: 72.1 %72.1LithuaniaLithuania: 71.8 %71.8LatviaLatvia: 70.6 %70.6FranceFrance: 69.9 %69.9HungaryHungary: 68.7 %68.7IrelandIreland: 68.1 %68.1MaltaMalta: 67.9 %67.9SlovakiaSlovakia: 67.8 %67.8CyprusCyprus: 67.6 %67.6BelgiumBelgium: 67.3 %67.3SloveniaSlovenia: 67.3 %67.3PortugalPortugal: 66.1 %66.1PolandPoland: 64.9 %64.9BulgariaBulgaria: 64.4 %64.4SpainSpain: 59.9 %59.9ItalyItaly: 59.5 %59.5CroatiaCroatia: 59.1 %59.1RomaniaRomania: 58 %58GreeceGreece: 53.1 %53.1
%. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2014 (%)Change on 2013
1Sweden79.6+0.2 pts
2Germany76.7+0.4 pts
3Netherlands76.3-0.4 pts
4Estonia75+0.9 pts
5Denmark74.7+0.4 pts
6Austria74.2-0.4 pts
7Czechia73.5+1 pts
8Finland72.2-0.3 pts
9Luxembourg72.1+1 pts
10Lithuania71.8+1.9 pts
11Latvia70.6+1.1 pts
12France69.9+0.2 pts
13Hungary68.7+3.5 pts
14Ireland68.1+1.6 pts
15Malta67.9+1.7 pts
16Slovakia67.8+0.9 pts
17Cyprus67.6+0.4 pts
18Belgium67.3+0.1 pts
18Slovenia67.3+0.6 pts
20Portugal66.1+2.7 pts
21Poland64.9+1.7 pts
22Bulgaria64.4+1.5 pts
23Spain59.9+1.3 pts
24Italy59.5+0.4 pts
25Croatia59.1+1.9 pts
26Romania58+1.1 pts
27Greece53.1+0.6 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Employed people as a percentage of the population aged 16 and over (Spain, EPA) or 20 to 64 (EU headline indicator).

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Employment and activity by sex and age, annual data, employment rate 20 to 64 (lfsi_emp_a). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsi_emp_a/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which EU country has the highest employment rate?

Sweden, with 79.6% in 2014, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest employment rate?

Greece, with 53.1% in 2014.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Employment and activity by sex and age, annual data, employment rate 20 to 64 (lfsi_emp_a). Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Employment rate: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings