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France unemployment rate, 1991 to 2025

Unemployment as a share of the labor force in France. · updated Jul 2026

About this statistic

France unemployment rate stood at 8 in 2025, up 1.9% on the previous period.

The unemployment rate counts people without work who are available for and seeking work, as a share of the labor force, using the International Labour Organization's harmonized definition via the World Bank. Since 1991 the series has ranged from 7.3 percent (2022) to 13 percent (1994); the latest reading is 7.5 percent for 2025, up from 7.4 percent the period before.

Cross-country comparisons work here because the ILO definition is consistent, but the rate hides underemployment and discouraged workers who stopped searching. National statistical offices often publish broader measures alongside this headline one.

Frequently asked questions
How often does this update?
The World Bank publishes annual figures on its World Development Indicators release cycle. This statistic refreshes automatically when new years appear.
Who counts as unemployed?
People of working age who had no employment, were available to start, and actively searched in the reference period. Discouraged workers who stopped searching fall out of the labor force entirely.
Other statistics on this topicAll Global development statistics →

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France unemployment rate — Kitegraph