EU countries by long-term unemployment rate

Greece had the highest long-term unemployment rate of 27 EU countries in 2018, at 12.5%. Czechia had the lowest, at 0.7%. The median was 2.1% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 3.1%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest12.5Greece

Lowest0.7Czechia

Median2.127 EU countries

European Union (27)3.1History

Map of EU countries, 2018

Under 1.3
1.3 to 1.9
1.9 to 2.4
2.4 to 3.4
3.4 and over

%, 2018. Source: Eurostat, Long-term unemployment as a percentage of the labour force, 15 to 74 years (une_ltu_a). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2018

%. Source: Eurostat, Long-term unemployment as a percentage of the labour force, 15 to 74 years (une_ltu_a). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

Rank	EU countries	2018 (%)	Change on 2017
1	Greece	12.5	-1.8 pts
2	Italy Series break	6.5	-0.4 pts
3	Spain	6.4	-1.3 pts
4	Slovakia	4.7	-1.2 pts
5	Bulgaria	3.7	-0.3 pts
6	Croatia	3.4	-1.1 pts
6	Latvia	3.4	-0.2 pts
8	Portugal	3.2	-1.4 pts
9	Cyprus	2.7	-1.8 pts
10	Belgium	2.6	-0.5 pts
10	France	2.6	-0.4 pts
12	Romania	2.2	-0.2 pts
12	Slovenia	2.2	-0.9 pts
14	Ireland	2.1	-0.9 pts
15	Finland	2	-0.6 pts
15	Lithuania	2	-0.7 pts
17	Malta	1.9	-0.1 pts
18	Austria	1.7	-0.6 pts
19	Germany	1.4	-0.2 pts
19	Hungary Series break	1.4	-0.2 pts
19	Luxembourg	1.4	-0.7 pts
22	Estonia	1.3	-0.7 pts
23	Netherlands	1.2	-0.5 pts
24	Denmark	1	-0.2 pts
24	Poland	1	-0.5 pts
26	Sweden	0.9	-0.2 pts
27	Czechia	0.7	-0.3 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 15 to 74 who have been unemployed for 12 months or more, as a percentage of the labour force aged 15 to 74. Unemployment follows the ILO definition: without work, available to start within two weeks and actively seeking work.

A share of the labour force, not of the unemployed. From the EU labour force survey. Eurostat flags series breaks (most in 2021, under the new framework regulation for social statistics); they are stored as status break.

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. Long-term unemployment as a percentage of the labour force, 15 to 74 years (une_ltu_a). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/une_ltu_a/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Long-term unemployment as a percentage of the labour force, 15 to 74 years (une_ltu_a) (EU countries by long-term unemployment rate, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/une_ltu_a/default/table

MLA 9

Long-term unemployment as a percentage of the labour force, 15 to 74 years (une_ltu_a), EU countries by long-term unemployment rate, 2018. Eurostat, European Commission, 10 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/une_ltu_a/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/long-term-unemployment-rate/eu-countries?period=2018. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Long-term unemployment as a percentage of the labour force, 15 to 74 years (une_ltu_a). EU countries by long-term unemployment rate, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/une_ltu_a/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/long-term-unemployment-rate/eu-countries?period=2018.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Long-term unemployment as a percentage of the labour force, 15 to 74 years (une_ltu_a), EU countries by long-term unemployment rate, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/une_ltu_a/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/long-term-unemployment-rate/eu-countries?period=2018 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_long_2018,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Long-term unemployment as a percentage of the labour force, 15 to 74 years (une\_ltu\_a): EU countries by long-term unemployment rate, 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/une_ltu_a/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-18},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/long-term-unemployment-rate/eu-countries?period=2018. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Long-term unemployment as a percentage of the labour force, 15 to 74 years (une\_ltu\_a). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/une\_ltu\_a/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Long-term unemployment as a percentage of the labour force, 15 to 74 years (une_ltu_a): EU countries by long-term unemployment rate, 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/10
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/une_ltu_a/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/long-term-unemployment-rate/eu-countries?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/long-term-unemployment-rate/eu-countries?period=2018.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Long-term unemployment as a percentage of the labour force, 15 to 74 years (une_ltu_a). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/une_ltu_a/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
ER  -

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Rank EU countries by long-term unemployment rate using official data, and cite the source.

rank_places {"indicator":"long_term_unemployment_rate","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest long-term unemployment rate?

Greece, with 12.5% in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest long-term unemployment rate?

Czechia, with 0.7% in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Long-term unemployment as a percentage of the labour force, 15 to 74 years (une_ltu_a). Retrieved 2026-10-18.