Over the last year, twenty-four Member States recorded a fall in their unemployment rate and three an increase. The largest falls were observed in Poland (11.8% to 8.1%) and Bulgaria (8.2% to 5.8%), and the highest increase in Spain (8.2% to 8.6%).
The unemployment rate for males fell from 6.9% to 6.5% between December 2006 and December 2007 in the euro area and from 7.0% to 6.4% in the EU27. The female unemployment rate declined from 8.9% to 8.0% in the euro area and from 8.4% to 7.3% in the EU27.
In December 2007, the unemployment rate for under-25s was 14.3% in the euro area and 14.8% in the EU27. In December 2006 it was 15.6% and 16.3% respectively. The lowest rates for under-25s were observed in the Netherlands (5.1%) and Slovenia (7.9% in the fourth quarter 2007), and the highest in Greece (22.6% in the third quarter 2007) and Romania (21.6%).
Eurostat estimates that 16.2 million men and women in the EU27, of which 11.0 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in December 2007. In December 2006, 18.0 million men and women in the EU27, of which 11.8 million were in the euro area, were unemployed.
In December 2007, the unemployment rate was 5.0% in the USA and 3.8% in Japan.
