Unemployment in Cyprus stood at 3.6 per cent in May 2025, down from 3.7 per cent in April and 4.8 per cent in May 2024, according to data released by Eurostat on Wednesday.

The number of unemployed remained unchanged compared to April, while in May last year it was significantly higher. By gender, the unemployment rate in Cyprus was 4.4 per cent for women and 3 per cent for men. 

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Cyprus is lower than the corresponding rates in both the euro area and the EU and ranks as the fifth lowest in the bloc. 

In May 2025, the unemployment rate in the euro area stood at 6.3 per cent, up slightly from 6.2 per cent in April, but lower than 6.4 per cent in May last year.  

In the EU as a whole, the rate was 5.9 per cent, stable month-on-month and down from 6 per cent a year earlier. 

Eurostat estimates that unemployment increased compared to April in both the EU and the euro area, but decreased on an annual basis. 

Among EU countries, Spain recorded the highest overall seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 10.8 per cent, while Malta had the lowest at 2.7 per cent. 

In terms of youth unemployment, an estimated 14.8 per cent of people under the age of 25 were unemployed in the EU in May 2025, and 14.4 per cent in the euro area, both slightly up from the previous month. 

In Cyprus, the youth unemployment rate stood at 9.9 per cent, based on the latest available figures. 

The highest youth unemployment rate in the EU was recorded in Spain at 25.4 and Estonia at 20.7 per cent, while the lowest was in Malta at 5.9 per cent. 

Compared with April, youth unemployment rose across both the EU and the euro area, though on an annual basis, it declined in the euro area and rose slightly in the EU. 

Regarding unemployment by gender, the EU unemployment rate for women stood at 6.1 per cent, and at 6.5 per cent in the euro area.  

For men, the rate was 5.7 per cent in the EU and 6.1 per cent in the euro area. 

The highest female unemployment rate was observed in Spain, 12.1 per cent, and Greece at 9.8 per cent, while the lowest again was in Malta, at 2.6 per cent.