The euro area (EA17) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 12.0% in December 2013, stable since October. It was 11.9% in December 2012. The EU28 unemployment rate was 10.7% in December 2013, down from 10.8% in November. It was 10.8% in December 2012. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Eurostat estimates that 26.200 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 19.010 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in December 2013. Compared with November 2013, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 162 000 in the EU28 and by 129 000 in the euro area. Compared with December 2012, unemployment decreased by 173 000 in the EU28, but increased by 130 000 in the euro area.

Member States

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Austria (4.9%), Germany (5.1%) and Luxembourg (6.2%), and the highest in Greece (27.8% in October 2013) and Spain (25.8%).

Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate increased in fourteen Member States, fell in thirteen and remained stable in Sweden. The highest increases were registered in Cyprus (13.9% to 17.5%), Greece (26.1% to 27.8% between October 2012 and October 2013), the Netherlands (5.8% to 7.0%) and Italy (11.5% to 12.7%)The largest decreases were observed in Ireland (14.0% to 12.1%), Latvia (14.0% to 12.1% between the third quarters of 2012 and 2013), Portugal (17.3% to 15.4%), Hungary (11.0% to 9.3% between November 2012 and November 2013) and Lithuania (13.0% to 11.4%).

In December 2013, the unemployment rate in the United States was 6.7%, down from 7.0% in November 2013 and from 7.9% in December 2012.