Iceland had the highest employment rate of the Nordic countries from 2012 to 2022. In 2022, it was 83 percent among the adult population between 15 and 64 years in Iceland, whereas it was between 74 and 78 percent in the other four Nordic countries. The employment rate decreased in all five countries from 2019 to 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19. The fall was most dramatic in Iceland, where the rate fell by four percentage points. Finland had the lowest employment rate of the countries. Moreover, the employment rates were higher in all five Nordic countries than the EU average.
The highest employment rates in Europe
Comparing all European countries with each other, the Nordic countries had some of the highest employment rates in Europe in 2022. In the EU, the Netherlands had the highest employment rate.
Higher unemployment rates in Sweden and Finland
Of the Nordic countries, Sweden had the highest unemployment rate in 2021. However, all five countries had an unemployment rate below eight percent. As of October 2022, Spain had the highest unemployment rate in the European Union, whereas Czechia had the lowest.
Employment rate in the Nordic countries from 2012 to 2022, by country
(compared to EU average)
Characteristic
Denmark
Finland
Iceland
Norway
Sweden
EU average
2022
76.78%
74.3%
83.28%
77.73%
77.13%
69.88%
2021
75.55%
72.65%
79.75%
76.3%
75.38%
68.35%
2020
74.43%
71.18%
80.3%
74.65%
74.88%
67.05%
2019
75%
72%
84.1%
75.3%
76.58%
68.1%
2018
74.13%
71.15%
85.08%
74.8%
76.85%
67.35%
2017
73.23%
69.08%
86.1%
74%
76.33%
66.35%
2016
72.68%
68.23%
86.53%
74.3%
75.73%
65.2%
2015
71.98%
67.55%
84.73%
74.8%
75.03%
64.1%
2014
71.1%
67.95%
82.95%
75.23%
74.43%
63.23%
2013
70.78%
68.08%
81.1%
75.43%
73.95%
62.48%
2012
71.03%
68.45%
79.68%
75.75%
73.28%
62.55%
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OECD. (April 11, 2023). Employment rate in the Nordic countries from 2012 to 2022, by country (compared to EU average) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 01, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1274574/employment-rate-nordics/
OECD. "Employment rate in the Nordic countries from 2012 to 2022, by country (compared to EU average)." Chart. April 11, 2023. Statista. Accessed September 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1274574/employment-rate-nordics/
OECD. (2023). Employment rate in the Nordic countries from 2012 to 2022, by country (compared to EU average). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1274574/employment-rate-nordics/
OECD. "Employment Rate in The Nordic Countries from 2012 to 2022, by Country (Compared to Eu Average)." Statista, Statista Inc., 11 Apr 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1274574/employment-rate-nordics/
OECD, Employment rate in the Nordic countries from 2012 to 2022, by country (compared to EU average) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1274574/employment-rate-nordics/ (last visited September 01, 2024)
Employment rate in the Nordic countries from 2012 to 2022, by country (compared to EU average) [Graph], OECD, April 11, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1274574/employment-rate-nordics/