Austria — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Austria, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Austria was 5.58% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 6.46% in 2021. The lowest was 3.42% in 1991 (about 1.6× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.45% per year.
Austria ranks 83 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 44%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 5.58%, so Austria sits level with it. It peaked in 2021 and has fallen 14% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 4%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 25 of 49 economies; Denmark (5.53%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 28% in 2009. That is 3% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 48 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 126th of 187 in 1991 → 127th of 187 in 2000 → 123rd of 187 in 2010 → 118th of 187 in 2020 → 78th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5.58% | +0.4 pp |
| 2024 | 5.2% | -0.1 pp |
| 2023 | 5.26% | +0.3 pp |
| 2022 | 4.99% | -1.5 pp |
| 2021 | 6.46% | +1.3 pp |
| 2020 | 5.2% | +0.6 pp |
| 2019 | 4.56% | -0.4 pp |
| 2018 | 4.93% | -0.6 pp |
| 2017 | 5.56% | -0.5 pp |
| 2016 | 6.06% | +0.3 pp |
| 2015 | 5.8% | +0.1 pp |
| 2014 | 5.67% | +0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 5.37% | +0.5 pp |
| 2012 | 4.91% | +0.3 pp |
| 2011 | 4.64% | -0.2 pp |
| 2010 | 4.88% | -0.5 pp |
| 2009 | 5.37% | +1.2 pp |
| 2008 | 4.2% | -0.7 pp |
| 2007 | 4.91% | -0.4 pp |
| 2006 | 5.32% | -0.4 pp |
| 2005 | 5.68% | -0.3 pp |
| 2004 | 5.97% | +1.2 pp |
| 2003 | 4.78% | -0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 4.85% | +0.8 pp |
| 2001 | 4.01% | -0.7 pp |
| 2000 | 4.69% | -0.0 pp |
| 1999 | 4.7% | -0.8 pp |
| 1998 | 5.48% | +0.3 pp |
| 1997 | 5.15% | -0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 5.28% | +0.9 pp |
| 1995 | 4.35% | +0.8 pp |
| 1994 | 3.54% | -0.7 pp |
| 1993 | 4.25% | +0.7 pp |
| 1992 | 3.59% | +0.2 pp |
| 1991 | 3.42% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Austria’s Unemployment in 1992?
3.59% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Austria’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +63.2% in total — about 1.5% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 5.58%; 2024: 5.2%; 2023: 5.26%; 2022: 4.99%; 2021: 6.46%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.