Unemployment rate,Percent in France

France: Unemployment rate,Percent was 7.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
7.5%
Change on year
up 4.2%
World rank
17th
of 71 countries
All-time high
10.3%
in 1994
All-time low
7.0%
in 2022
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Unemployment rate,Percent in France, 1990–2025

02.557.5101990200720251990: 7.71991: 7.91992: 8.71993: 9.71994: 10.31995: 9.61996: 10.11997: 10.21998: 9.81999: 9.62000: 8.22001: 7.32002: 7.52003: 8.12004: 8.52005: 8.52006: 8.52007: 7.72008: 7.12009: 8.82010: 8.92011: 8.82012: 9.42013: 9.92014: 9.92015: 102016: 9.72017: 9.12018: 8.72019: 8.22020: 7.82021: 7.72022: 72023: 7.12024: 7.22025: 7.5

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

In 2025, unemployment rate,percent in France stood at 7.5%.

The figure is up 4.2% on the previous year and down 25.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment rate,percent in France peaked at 10.3% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 2022.

France ranks 17th of 71 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.

Unemployment rate,Percent in France, year by year

Annual values for Unemployment rate,Percent,,, in France, 1990 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1990 7.7% —
1991 7.9% +2.9%
1992 8.7% +10.5%
1993 9.7% +10.9%
1994 10.3% +6.5%
1995 9.6% -6.3%
1996 10.1% +4.9%
1997 10.2% +1.5%
1998 9.8% -4.4%
1999 9.6% -2.6%
2000 8.2% -14.4%
2001 7.3% -10.1%
2002 7.5% +2.4%
2003 8.1% +8.0%
2004 8.5% +4.9%
2005 8.5% -0.3%
2006 8.5% +0.0%
2007 7.7% -9.7%
2008 7.1% -7.5%
2009 8.8% +23.2%
2010 8.9% +2.0%
2011 8.8% -1.1%
2012 9.4% +6.5%
2013 9.9% +5.9%
2014 9.9% -0.5%
2015 10.0% +1.3%
2016 9.7% -3.0%
2017 9.1% -6.4%
2018 8.7% -4.4%
2019 8.2% -6.0%
2020 7.8% -4.0%
2021 7.7% -2.5%
2022 7.0% -7.8%
2023 7.1% +0.7%
2024 7.2% +0.7%
2025 7.5% +4.2%

France compared with similar countries

  • France's 7.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.0%, 1.5× the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • France's 7.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.2%, 1.4× the median. (35 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 9.3% 7.7% 10.3% 10
2000s 8.0% 7.1% 8.8% 10
2010s 9.3% 8.2% 10.0% 10
2020s 7.4% 7.0% 7.8% 6

Countries ranked near France

  1. 14 Lithuania 8.3% compare
  2. 15 Austria 7.6% compare
  3. 16 Uruguay 7.5% compare
  4. 17 Estonia 7.5% compare
  5. 19 Argentina 7.4% compare
  6. 20 Latvia 6.9% compare

See the full ranking of 80 places →

More reference data data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment rate,percent in France?
Unemployment rate,percent in France was 7.5% in 2025, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest unemployment rate,percent recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 10.3% in 1994.
What is the lowest unemployment rate,percent recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 2022.
How does France rank for unemployment rate,percent?
France ranks 17th out of 71 countries with data for 2025.
Is unemployment rate,percent rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this France data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Unemployment rate,Percent,,,. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Unemployment rate,Percent,,,
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
80 places, 2,236 data points, 1990–2026
Last refreshed