Greece recorded the largest year-over-year decline in unemployment among OECD countries in December 2025, with its jobless rate falling to 7.5% from 9.4% a year earlier, according to newly released OECD data.

The 1.9-percentage-point drop marked the strongest improvement in the 38-member group over that period. Greece reduced unemployment across nearly all demographic groups, with the exception of women aged 15 to 24.

Despite the progress, Greece still ranks among the OECD countries with the highest unemployment rates. At 7.5%, it remains well above the OECD average of 4.9%, placing it near the bottom of the group’s ranking for joblessness.

Across the European Union, the unemployment rate held steady at 5.9% in December, while the euro area posted a slight improvement, edging down to 6.2% from 6.3% a year earlier.

Mixed picture across OECD

Compared with December 2024, unemployment was broadly stable in several OECD countries and declined in eight, with the largest reductions seen in Greece, as well as in Denmark and Estonia. In contrast, 17 OECD countries recorded increases, with the sharpest rises—1.6 percentage points—reported in Finland and Slovenia.

Youth unemployment

Youth unemployment in Greece stood at 13% for those aged 15–24, while the rate for people aged 25 and over was 7.2%.

Across the OECD as a whole, youth unemployment eased slightly to 11.2%. It remains significantly higher than for workers 25 and older, exceeding that group’s rate by 7 percentage points. Youth unemployment fell by more than 2 percentage points month-to-month in several countries, including Greece and some northern European economies, while in five OECD countries it remained above 20%.

Overall, unemployment rates for women, men and workers aged 25 and over across the OECD were largely unchanged compared with November 2025, pointing to a generally stable labor market in advanced economies at the end of the year.