BRUSSELS / RankWire.AI / – Euro area unemployment held at 6.4% in August 2026, unchanged from July, according to Eurostat. The rate stood at 6.3% in August 2025. Across the European Union, unemployment remained at 6.1% for a second month. That compared with 6.0% a year earlier. The figures showed stable headline rates even as the number of people without work increased across both regions.
Eurostat estimated that 11.357 million people were unemployed across the euro area in August. The broader EU recorded 13.600 million unemployed people during the month. Compared with July, unemployment increased by 26,000 people in the euro area and by 12,000 across the EU. From August 2025, the number increased by 267,000 in the euro area and 348,000 across the 27-member European Union.
National unemployment rates continued to vary widely across the bloc in August. Spain recorded a rate of 10.0%, while Finland stood at 10.3% and Sweden at 8.7%. France recorded 8.2%, Italy 6.2% and Germany 4.0%. At the lower end, Czechia reported 3.2%. Malta, Poland and Slovenia each recorded 3.4%, while Bulgaria’s unemployment rate stood at 3.5%.
Youth unemployment moves in different directions
Youth unemployment showed a mixed monthly picture between the euro area and the wider EU. The euro-area rate for people under 25 fell to 15.0% from 15.1% in July. The EU youth unemployment rate increased to 15.4% from 15.3%. About 2.391 million young people were unemployed in the euro area. The corresponding EU total reached 2.973 million.
The number of unemployed young people in the euro area fell by 9,000 from July. Across the EU, the total increased by 13,000 during the same period. Compared with August 2025, youth unemployment increased by 38,000 in the euro area. The EU recorded an annual increase of 19,000. Youth unemployment rates remained above overall unemployment rates across both geographic groupings.
Women retain higher unemployment rates
The August figures also showed a continuing difference between unemployment rates for women and men. In the euro area, the rate for women stood at 6.7%, compared with 6.2% for men. Both rates remained unchanged from July. Across the EU, unemployment stood at 6.4% for women and 5.9% for men. Those rates were also unchanged from the previous month.
The unemployment figures use harmonized definitions recommended by the International Labour Organization. The measure covers people aged 15 to 74 who have no job and are available to start work. They must also have actively sought employment during the previous four weeks. The unemployment rate measures those people as a share of the labor force. The next monthly euro-area and EU unemployment update is scheduled for October 30, 2026.