EU countries by long-term unemployment rate

Greece had the highest long-term unemployment rate of 27 EU countries in 2019, at 11.3%. Czechia had the lowest, at 0.6%. The median was 1.9% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 2.7%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest11.3Greece
Lowest0.6Czechia
Median1.927 EU countries
European Union (27)2.7History

Map of EU countries, 2019

Austria: 1.4 %Belgium: 2.1 %Bulgaria: 3 %Cyprus: 2.2 %Czechia: 0.6 %Germany: 1.2 %Denmark: 0.8 %Estonia: 0.9 %Spain: 5.3 %Finland: 1.5 %France: 2.3 %Greece: 11.3 %Croatia: 2.4 %Hungary: 1.1 %Ireland: 1.6 %Italy: 5.9 %Lithuania: 1.9 %Luxembourg: 1.3 %Latvia: 2.7 %Malta: 1 %Netherlands: 0.9 %Poland: 0.7 %Portugal: 2.8 %Romania: 2 %Sweden: 0.8 %Slovenia: 1.9 %Slovakia: 3.9 %
  • Under 0.9
  • 0.9 to 1.4
  • 1.4 to 2.1
  • 2.1 to 2.8
  • 2.8 and over
%, 2019. 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, 2019

Greece: 11.3 %Greece11.3Italy: 5.9 %Italy5.9Spain: 5.3 %Spain5.3Slovakia: 3.9 %Slovakia3.9Bulgaria: 3 %Bulgaria3Portugal: 2.8 %Portugal2.8Latvia: 2.7 %Latvia2.7Croatia: 2.4 %Croatia2.4France: 2.3 %France2.3Cyprus: 2.2 %Cyprus2.2Belgium: 2.1 %Belgium2.1Romania: 2 %Romania2Lithuania: 1.9 %Lithuania1.9Slovenia: 1.9 %Slovenia1.9Ireland: 1.6 %Ireland1.6Finland: 1.5 %Finland1.5Austria: 1.4 %Austria1.4Luxembourg: 1.3 %Luxembourg1.3Germany: 1.2 %Germany1.2Hungary: 1.1 %Hungary1.1Malta: 1 %Malta1Estonia: 0.9 %Estonia0.9Netherlands: 0.9 %Netherlands0.9Denmark: 0.8 %Denmark0.8Sweden: 0.8 %Sweden0.8Poland: 0.7 %Poland0.7Czechia: 0.6 %Czechia0.6Greece: 11.3 %Greece11.3Italy: 5.9 %Italy5.9Spain: 5.3 %Spain5.3Slovakia: 3.9 %Slovakia3.9Bulgaria: 3 %Bulgaria3Portugal: 2.8 %Portugal2.8Latvia: 2.7 %Latvia2.7Croatia: 2.4 %Croatia2.4France: 2.3 %France2.3Cyprus: 2.2 %Cyprus2.2Belgium: 2.1 %Belgium2.1Romania: 2 %Romania2Lithuania: 1.9 %Lithuania1.9Slovenia: 1.9 %Slovenia1.9Ireland: 1.6 %Ireland1.6Finland: 1.5 %Finland1.5Austria: 1.4 %Austria1.4Luxembourg: 1.3 %Luxembourg1.3Germany: 1.2 %Germany1.2Hungary: 1.1 %Hungary1.1Malta: 1 %Malta1Estonia: 0.9 %Estonia0.9Netherlands: 0.9 %Netherlands0.9Denmark: 0.8 %Denmark0.8Sweden: 0.8 %Sweden0.8Poland: 0.7 %Poland0.7Czechia: 0.6 %Czechia0.6
%. 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

RankEU countries2019 (%)Change on 2018
1Greece11.3-1.2 pts
2Italy5.9-0.6 pts
3Spain5.3-1.1 pts
4Slovakia3.9-0.8 pts
5Bulgaria Series break3-0.7 pts
6Portugal2.8-0.4 pts
7Latvia2.7-0.7 pts
8Croatia2.4-1 pts
9France2.3-0.3 pts
10Cyprus2.2-0.5 pts
11Belgium2.1-0.5 pts
12Romania2-0.2 pts
13Lithuania1.9-0.1 pts
13Slovenia1.9-0.3 pts
15Ireland1.6-0.5 pts
16Finland1.5-0.5 pts
17Austria1.4-0.3 pts
18Luxembourg1.3-0.1 pts
19Germany1.2-0.2 pts
20Hungary1.1-0.3 pts
21Malta1-0.9 pts
22Estonia0.9-0.4 pts
22Netherlands0.9-0.3 pts
24Denmark0.8-0.2 pts
24Sweden0.8-0.1 pts
26Poland Series break0.7-0.3 pts
27Czechia0.6-0.1 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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_long_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/long-term-unemployment-rate/eu-countries?period=2019.
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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Questions

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

Greece, with 11.3% in 2019, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Czechia, with 0.6% in 2019.

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.

Long-term unemployment rate: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings