site.btaEuro Area Unemployment at 6.2% in December 2025, Bulgaria at 3.3%

Seasonally adjusted unemployment in the euro area stood at 6.2% in December 2025, down from 6.3% in November and also lower than in December 2024, according to Eurostat data, published on Friday. 

Unemployment in the European Union was 5.9% in December 2025, unchanged compared with November 2025 and December 2024.

Eurostat estimates that 13.043 million people were unemployed in the EU in December 2025, including 10.792 million in the euro area.

Compared with November 2025, the number of unemployed people decreased by 94,000 in the EU and by 61,000 in the euro area. On an annual basis, however, unemployment increased by 71,000 in the EU, while it fell by 5,000 in the euro area.

In Bulgaria, seasonally adjusted unemployment in December 2025 was 3.3%, down from 3.5% in November.

In December 2025, 2.857 million young people under the age of 25 were unemployed in the EU, including 2.257 million in the euro area. The youth unemployment rate was 14.7% in the EU, down from 14.9% in November; and 14.3% in the euro area, compared with 14.4% a month earlier.

Compared with November 2025, youth unemployment declined by 16,000 in the EU and by 12,000 in the euro area. On a year-on-year basis, it fell by 18,000 in the EU and by 31,000 in the euro area.

Bulgaria also reported an improvement in youth unemployment, which declined from 12.6% in November to 12% in December.

Unemployment among women in the EU stood at 6.0% in December 2025, down from 6.1% in November, while the unemployment rate among men was 5.8%, unchanged from the previous month. In the euro area, unemployment among women was 6.4% and among men 6.1%, with both figures remaining unchanged compared with November.