Countries by Long-Term Unemployment
Complete ranking of 37 countries • Percentage of labour force • Updated 2026
About Long Term Unemployment Rate Rankings
Greece leads all 37 countries in Long Term Unemployment Rate with a value of 5.48, while South Korea ranks last at 0.02. This represents a 287-fold difference between the highest and lowest values.
What Long Term Unemployment Rate Measures
Long Term Unemployment Rate is a comparative indicator tracked across countries by the OECD. It provides a quantitative basis for cross-national comparison, enabling researchers and policymakers to benchmark national performance on this dimension against global peers.
Why This Ranking Matters
Examining Long Term Unemployment Rate across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.
Global Range
Values range from 0.02 (South Korea) to 5.48 (Greece) — a 287-fold difference across 37 countries.
Regional Patterns
European countries dominate this ranking, holding 20 of the top 20 positions. This strong regional concentration suggests shared economic, geographic, or policy factors that drive higher values across the continent.
Values are broadly distributed across countries, with the middle 50% ranging from 0.66 to 1.73. The overall spread from 0.02 to 5.48 reflects significant global variation.
Notable Outliers
Greece holds a significant lead over Spain, with a 44% gap between first and second place. While several countries cluster near the top, the leader's margin is notable.
Continental Leaders
Highest Ranked
The top five countries for Long Term Unemployment Rate are Greece (5.48), Spain (3.82), Slovakia (3.53), Italy (3.34), and Portugal (2.58). Together, these nations represent the global leaders in this metric.
Lowest Ranked
At the other end of the spectrum, South Korea (0.02), Mexico (0.06), Israel (0.18), Iceland (0.43), and United States (0.50) have the lowest values globally.
Data Source & Methodology
Rankings are based on the latest available data from OECD, covering 37 of 249 countries and territories. Countries without data for this metric are excluded from the ranking. All values represent the most recently reported figures.
Top 10 Countries
Full Rankings
| Percentile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st |  Greece | 5.5% | Europe | 100% |
| 2nd |  Spain | 3.8% | Europe | 97% |
| 3rd |  Slovakia | 3.5% | Europe | 95% |
| 4th |  Italy | 3.3% | Europe | 92% |
| 5th |  Portugal | 2.6% | Europe | 89% |
| 6th |  Lithuania | 2.4% | Europe | 86% |
| 7th |  Latvia | 2.3% | Europe | 84% |
| 8th |  Belgium | 2.1% | Europe | 81% |
| 9th |  Estonia | 1.9% | Europe | 78% |
| 10th |  Turkey | 1.7% | Europe | 76% |
| 11th |  France | 1.7% | Europe | 73% |
| 12th |  Luxembourg | 1.6% | Europe | 70% |
| 13th |  Finland | 1.6% | Europe | 68% |
| 14th |  Hungary | 1.6% | Europe | 65% |
| 15th |  Sweden | 1.4% | Europe | 62% |
| 16th |  Switzerland | 1.3% | Europe | 59% |
| 17th |  Austria | 1.1% | Europe | 57% |
| 18th |  Slovenia | 1.1% | Europe | 54% |
| 19th |  Germany | 0.9% | Europe | 51% |
| 20th |  Ireland | 0.9% | Europe | 49% |
| 21st |  United Kingdom | 0.9% | Europe | 46% |
| 22nd |  Australia | 0.8% | Oceania | 43% |
| 23rd |  Czechia | 0.8% | Europe | 41% |
| 24th |  Costa Rica | 0.8% | North America | 38% |
| 25th |  Colombia | 0.8% | North America | 35% |
| 26th |  Japan | 0.8% | Asia | 32% |
| 27th |  Poland | 0.8% | Europe | 30% |
| 28th |  Canada | 0.7% | North America | 27% |
| 29th |  Norway | 0.6% | Europe | 24% |
| 30th |  Denmark | 0.6% | Europe | 22% |
| 31st |  New Zealand | 0.5% | Oceania | 19% |
| 32nd |  Netherlands | 0.5% | Europe | 16% |
| 33rd |  United States | 0.5% | North America | 14% |
| 34th |  Iceland | 0.4% | Europe | 11% |
| 35th |  Israel | 0.2% | Asia | 8% |
| 36th |  Mexico | 0.1% | North America | 5% |
| 37th |  South Korea | 0.0% | Asia | 3% |