Eurozone Unemployment Holds at 6.4% in July 2026

The euro area unemployment rate remained stable at 6.4% in July 2026, according to Eurostat, though it edged up from 6.3% recorded in the same month a year earlier. Some 11.264 million people in the euro area were without work, while youth unemployment in the bloc eased month-on-month to 14.9%.

Marcus Winterbourne·2 September 2026

The euro area unemployment rate held steady at 6.4% in July 2026, unchanged from June but marginally higher than the 6.3% recorded in July 2025, according to figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Across the broader EU, the unemployment rate stood at 6.1% in July 2026, also stable month-on-month and up from 6.0% a year earlier.

Eurostat estimates that 13.516 million persons in the EU were unemployed in July 2026, of whom 11.264 million were in the euro area. Compared with June 2026, unemployment fell by 41 thousand across the EU, while it remained unchanged in the euro area. Measured against July 2025, the number of unemployed rose by 296 thousand in the EU and by 175 thousand in the euro area.

Youth unemployment — covering those under 25 — showed a monthly improvement. In July 2026, 2.930 million young persons were unemployed in the EU, of whom 2.371 million were in the euro area. The youth unemployment rate fell to 15.1% in the EU, down from 15.6% in June, and to 14.9% in the euro area, down from 15.0% the previous month. Nevertheless, compared with July 2025, youth unemployment rose by 29 thousand in the EU and by 40 thousand in the euro area.

A breakdown by sex shows that in July 2026 the unemployment rate for women stood at 6.3% in the EU and 6.6% in the euro area, while for men it was 5.9% in the EU and 6.2% in the euro area. All four figures were stable compared with June 2026.

Eurostat noted revisions to previously published figures: the June 2026 unemployment rate for the EU has been revised from 6.0% to 6.1%, and the euro area rate from 6.3% to 6.4%. Among individual member states, Lithuania's rate was revised downwards by 0.7 percentage points, while upward revisions of more than 0.1 percentage points were applied to Cyprus (by 0.8 pp), Bulgaria and Romania (by 0.5 pp each), and Estonia, Latvia and Poland (by 0.3 pp each).

The figures are based on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition of unemployment, which covers persons aged 15 to 74 who are without work, available to start within two weeks, and have actively sought employment during the previous four weeks. EU Labour Force Survey data for the second quarter of 2026 are scheduled for release on 11 September 2026.

Several verified sources, together with artificial intelligence, were used in the preparation of this article. The content was reviewed by our editorial team prior to publication. Disclosure provided in accordance with Article 50 of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act).

Source(s)

Eurostat

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