Greece’s unemployment rate fell to 8.5% in Feb. 2026, according to the Greek Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), marking a notable improvement from the downwardly revised 9.2% recorded in Feb. 2025. However, the figure represents a slight uptick from the upwardly revised 7.9% registered in Jan. 2026.

The number of unemployed individuals stood at 410,506, reflecting a decline of 26,664 people year-on-year (a drop of 6.1%), but an increase of 32,345 compared with Jan. 2026 (up 8.6%).

Gender disparities in unemployment persisted, though both groups saw annual improvements. The unemployment rate among women fell to 11.3% from 11.9% a year earlier, while the rate for men declined to 6.2% from 7.1%.

By age group, unemployment among young people aged 15–24 eased slightly to 17.6%, down from 17.8% in Feb. 2025. For those aged 25–74, the rate dropped more significantly to 8%, compared with 8.8% a year earlier.

Employment figures painted a broadly positive picture. The number of people in work rose to 4,412,218, an increase of 118,997 individuals year-on-year (up 2.8%) and 8,870 compared with Jan. 2026 (up 0.2%).

Meanwhile, the number of individuals under 75 classified as outside the labor force—those neither working nor seeking employment—declined to 2,906,805. This represents a decrease of 121,794 people compared with Feb. 2025 (down 4%) and a further drop of 45,511 from Jan. 2026 (down 1.5%).

Source: tovima.com