{"version":1,"asset_type":"statistical_series","data_type":"time_series","slug":"es-unemployment-rate","url":"https://apiardata.com/statistics/es-unemployment-rate","html_url":"https://apiardata.com/statistics/es-unemployment-rate/","title":"Spain Unemployment Rate (2025)","description":"Spain's Unemployment Rate: 10.5 % of active population in 2025, -0.9pp YoY. Eurostat (UNE_RT_A), 2009–2025.","domain":"labor","category":"Labour & Employment","keywords":["Labour & Employment","Eurostat","European Union","2025"],"publisher":"Eurostat","frequency":"Annual","geography":"Spain","temporal_coverage":"2005/2025","unit":"% of active population","last_updated":"2026-04-14","last_updated_text":"14 April 2026","data_as_of":"2025","variable_measured":"Spain Unemployment Rate","license":"https://apiardata.com/data-license","is_accessible_for_free":true,"sources":[{"name":"Eurostat","url":"https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/UNE_RT_A/default/table"}],"meta":[{"label":"Frequency","value":"Annual"},{"label":"Coverage","value":"2005–2025"},{"label":"Observations","value":"17"},{"label":"Geography","value":"Spain"},{"label":"Last updated","value":"14 April 2026"}],"kpis":[{"label":"Spain (2025)","value":"10.5","unit":"% of active population","trend":{"direction":"down","value":"-0.9pp YoY"}},{"label":"YoY Change","value":"-0.9pp","unit":"percentage points"},{"label":"Trend","value":"down","unit":""},{"label":"Series length","value":"17","unit":"years of data"}],"series":[{"key":"value","label":"Spain Unemployment Rate"}],"observation_count":17,"observations":[{"period":"2009","value":17.9},{"period":"2010","value":19.9},{"period":"2011","value":21.4},{"period":"2012","value":24.8},{"period":"2013","value":26.1},{"period":"2014","value":24.5},{"period":"2015","value":22.1},{"period":"2016","value":19.6},{"period":"2017","value":17.2},{"period":"2018","value":15.3},{"period":"2019","value":14.1},{"period":"2020","value":15.5},{"period":"2021","value":14.9},{"period":"2022","value":13},{"period":"2023","value":12.2},{"period":"2024","value":11.4},{"period":"2025","value":10.5}],"table":{"columns":[{"key":"year","label":"Year"},{"key":"value","label":"% of active population"},{"key":"yoyChange","label":"YoY Change"}],"rows":[{"year":"2025","value":"10.5","yoyChange":"-0.9pp"},{"year":"2024","value":"11.4","yoyChange":"-0.8pp"},{"year":"2023","value":"12.2","yoyChange":"-0.8pp"},{"year":"2022","value":"13.0","yoyChange":"-1.9pp"},{"year":"2021","value":"14.9","yoyChange":"-0.6pp"},{"year":"2020","value":"15.5","yoyChange":"+1.4pp"},{"year":"2019","value":"14.1","yoyChange":"-1.2pp"},{"year":"2018","value":"15.3","yoyChange":"-1.9pp"},{"year":"2017","value":"17.2","yoyChange":"-2.4pp"},{"year":"2016","value":"19.6","yoyChange":"-2.5pp"},{"year":"2015","value":"22.1","yoyChange":"-2.4pp"},{"year":"2014","value":"24.5","yoyChange":"-1.6pp"},{"year":"2013","value":"26.1","yoyChange":"+1.3pp"},{"year":"2012","value":"24.8","yoyChange":"+3.4pp"},{"year":"2011","value":"21.4","yoyChange":"+1.5pp"},{"year":"2010","value":"19.9","yoyChange":"+2.0pp"},{"year":"2009","value":"17.9","yoyChange":"n/a"}]},"qa":[{"question":"What does Spain's harmonised unemployment rate measure?","answer":"Eurostat's Spain unemployment rate is compiled annually from the EU Labour Force Survey (dataset UNE_RT_A) using the ILO harmonised definition: a person is unemployed if they had no work in the reference week, were available to start within two weeks, and had actively sought work in the past four weeks. Spain's national EPA (Encuesta de Población Activa), published quarterly by INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística), uses the same methodology and typically aligns closely with the Eurostat annual figure. Spain's unemployment rate is widely watched as a barometer for southern European labour market recovery and is a key input to EU-wide employment statistics."},{"question":"What drove Spain's unemployment rate from 26% to 10.5% between 2013 and 2025?","answer":"Spain's decline from a 26.1% peak in 2013 — among the highest unemployment rates ever recorded in a developed economy — to a series-low of 10.5% in 2025 is the result of two structural breaks and sustained economic expansion. The first break was the economic recovery from the 2013 trough, which generated employment broadly across construction, tourism, and manufacturing. The second, more significant structural break was the 2021 Reforma Laboral under Minister Yolanda Díaz. The reform required that most temporary and short-term contracts be converted to permanent or fijo discontinuo (seasonal-permanent) contracts, reducing the share of temporary employment in the Spanish economy from approximately 25% to around 17% within two years. This structural shift reduced the volume of unemployment spells driven by contract expiration — historically a major component of Spanish unemployment — and is widely credited as a key driver of the sustained decline since 2022."},{"question":"Why does Spain still have the highest unemployment rate among the four major EU economies despite strong GDP growth?","answer":"At 10.5% in 2025, Spain's unemployment is nearly 3× Germany's (3.8%) and well above France's (7.7%) and Italy's (6.1%), despite Spain recording the strongest GDP growth among the group (2.8%). This paradox reflects structural features of Spain's labour market that strong growth alone cannot resolve: a historically large informal and temporary employment sector (still substantial despite the 2021 reform); high youth unemployment driven by skills mismatches with the labour market; and regional divergences (Andalusia, Extremadura, and the Canary Islands record rates above 15% versus below 8% in the Basque Country and Madrid). High unemployment coexists with labour shortages in specific sectors — particularly tourism, logistics, and tech — indicating a structural mismatch problem rather than purely deficient aggregate demand."},{"question":"What does Spain's improving unemployment trend mean for sovereign bond and equity investors?","answer":"Spain's sustained unemployment decline is a meaningful positive for BONOS (Spanish sovereign bonds) and for Spanish equity. Strong employment growth supports consumption and VAT revenues, improving Spain's fiscal position — Spain's deficit has been falling faster than expected, supported by buoyant tax receipts. For equity investors, Spain's consumer-facing economy (retail, banking, tourism) benefits directly from a tighter labour market; Spanish bank stocks have been particularly strong performers as rising employment reduces non-performing loan risk and supports credit demand. Watch the quarterly EPA for near-term signals: Spain's EPA is released before the Eurostat annual figure and is the primary market-moving indicator."}]}