Euro area unemployment holds steady at 6.4% in August

The euro area’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 6.4% in August, unchanged from July but up from 6.3% a year earlier, Eurostat figures showed Thursday.

The unemployment rate across the European Union also held steady at 6.1%, compared with 6% in August 2025.

Eurostat estimated that 13.6 million people were unemployed in the EU in August, including 11.357 million in the euro area.

Compared with July, the number of unemployed increased by 12,000 in the EU and 26,000 in the euro area. On an annual basis, unemployment rose by 348,000 and 267,000, respectively.

Among EU countries, Finland recorded the highest unemployment rate at 10.3%, followed by Spain at 10% and Sweden at 8.7%.

Czechia had the lowest rate at 3.2%, while Malta, Poland and Slovenia each recorded 3.4%.

Among the bloc’s largest economies, Germany’s unemployment rate remained at 4%, while France’s eased to 8.2% from 8.3% in July. Italy’s rate increased to 6.2% from 6%.

Youth unemployment showed a mixed picture, rising to 15.4% in the EU from 15.3% in July, while falling to 15% in the euro area from 15.1%.

Some 2.973 million people under the age of 25 were unemployed across the EU, including 2.391 million in the euro area.

The unemployment rate for women stood at 6.7% in the euro area, compared with 6.2% for men. Across the EU, the corresponding rates were 6.4% and 5.9%, respectively, all unchanged from July.