Employment across the European Union reached a record level in 2025, with 76.1% of people aged 20 to 64 in work, according to Eurostat data published today. This marks the highest rate since comparable records began in 2009.

In total, 197.7 million people were employed in the EU last year. The figure represents a gradual upward trend, rising by 0.3 percentage points compared with 2024 and by 0.8 points compared with 2023.

Among member states, Malta recorded the highest employment rate at 83.6%, followed closely by the Netherlands at 83.4% and the Czech Republic at 82.9%. At the lower end of the scale, Italy registered 67.6%, Romania 69.0%, and Greece 71.0%.

Bulgaria also reported a strong performance, with its employment rate reaching 77% in 2025. This is the highest level recorded in the country since 2009, placing it above the EU average.

The data also show a persistent gender gap in employment across most member states. In all EU countries except Lithuania, male employment rates remain higher than those for women.

For men, the EU-wide employment rate stands at 80.9%. The highest male employment levels were recorded in Malta (89.1%), the Czech Republic (88.2%) and the Netherlands (87.2%), while the lowest were in Belgium (76.4%), Croatia (76.8%) and Finland (77.0%).

For women, the average employment rate in the EU is 71.3%. The highest female participation was seen in Estonia (81.4%), Lithuania (80.3%) and Sweden (79.8%), while the lowest figures were recorded in Italy (58.0%), Romania (59.5%) and Greece (62.3%).

Overall, the employment gap between men and women in the EU stands at 9.6 percentage points. The widest disparities were recorded in Italy (19.1 points), Romania (18.7 points) and Greece (17.4 points), while the smallest gaps were observed in Estonia (0.5 points), Lithuania (where women slightly exceed men), Finland (1.3 points) and Latvia (1.9 points).