Greece — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Greece, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Greece was 8.54% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 27.69% in 2013. The lowest was 7.57% in 1991 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.35% per year.
Greece ranks 49 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 26%. The median for Europe & Central Asia is 5.58%, so Greece sits above it. It peaked in 2013 and has fallen 69% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 66%. Within Europe & Central Asia it ranks 11 of 49 economies; Turkiye (8.52%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 41% in 2011. That is 47% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1991 level: doubled by 2011. Doubling roughly every 196 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 76th of 187 in 1991 → 55th of 187 in 2000 → 38th of 187 in 2010 → 23rd of 187 in 2020 → 45th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8.54% | -1.5 pp |
| 2024 | 10.02% | -1.0 pp |
| 2023 | 11.02% | -1.4 pp |
| 2022 | 12.43% | -2.2 pp |
| 2021 | 14.66% | -1.2 pp |
| 2020 | 15.9% | -1.1 pp |
| 2019 | 17.05% | -2.1 pp |
| 2018 | 19.18% | -2.2 pp |
| 2017 | 21.41% | -2.1 pp |
| 2016 | 23.51% | -1.5 pp |
| 2015 | 24.98% | -1.7 pp |
| 2014 | 26.71% | -1.0 pp |
| 2013 | 27.69% | +3.0 pp |
| 2012 | 24.73% | +6.8 pp |
| 2011 | 17.97% | +5.3 pp |
| 2010 | 12.72% | +3.2 pp |
| 2009 | 9.55% | +1.9 pp |
| 2008 | 7.66% | -0.7 pp |
| 2007 | 8.35% | -0.6 pp |
| 2006 | 8.91% | -1.2 pp |
| 2005 | 10.07% | -0.6 pp |
| 2004 | 10.63% | +0.8 pp |
| 2003 | 9.84% | -0.5 pp |
| 2002 | 10.35% | -0.4 pp |
| 2001 | 10.76% | -0.6 pp |
| 2000 | 11.35% | -0.8 pp |
| 1999 | 12.14% | -0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 12.23% | +1.8 pp |
| 1997 | 10.47% | +0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 10.4% | +0.3 pp |
| 1995 | 10.12% | +0.3 pp |
| 1994 | 9.81% | -0.4 pp |
| 1993 | 10.18% | +1.3 pp |
| 1992 | 8.93% | +1.4 pp |
| 1991 | 7.57% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Greece’s Unemployment in 1992?
8.93% (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 Greece’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +12.8% in total — about 0.4% 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: 8.54%; 2024: 10.02%; 2023: 11.02%; 2022: 12.43%; 2021: 14.66%. 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.