The Nordic Statistics Database offers an overview of Nordic labour market trends at a glance with interactive visualisations and comparable Nordic data. With the new features, you can explore employment, unemployment, economic indicators, work-related accidents, and absences from work with greater precision and detailed breakdowns.
Whether you want to track employment among older age groups, NEET (not in employment, education or training) rates for young people, or long-term unemployment, the interactive figures make it simple to compare trends across the Nordic countries. You can filter to customise the graphs by age, gender, education, or citizenship and watch the charts update instantly.
“High-quality data helps make sense of Nordic labour market dynamics,” says Vitor Miranda, who leads Nordregio’s work on the Nordic Statistics Database. “With the enhanced features and new visualisations, users can quickly explore employment and unemployment trends and other key indicators, compare countries, and examine changes and developments over time. The database also provides easy access to downloadable data for further analysis.”
Explore the key trends in the Nordic labour markets through 26 visualisations and links to additional data and information. See selected examples below or dive into the details in the Nordic Statistics Database.
Employment and ageing workforce
Employment rates in the Nordics remain high compared to the EU average, although rates in Sweden, Norway, and Finland slightly decreased in 2024 compared to 2023. In 2024, the Faroe Islands reported the highest rates in the Nordic Region with 91% for ages 20-64. Take a closer look at differences across age groups by adjusting the filters below.
The old age dependency ratio, showing how many individuals aged 65+ are supported by the working-age population, is rising in all Nordic countries. Åland and Finland have the highest ratios, while Greenland and Iceland have the lowest (2025 status). Projections indicate continued increases toward 2045.
As the Nordic population ages, employment among older age groups is becoming increasingly important. Employment rates of 65-69-year-olds across all Nordic countries exceed the EU average (16% in 2024). Iceland in particular stands out with high employment rates, also among the Nordics. However, gender differences remain and the employment rate among men is higher than among women. See the differences by adjusting the filters below.
Unemployment and NEET rates
The unemployment figures help to track monthly and annual data, including long-term unemployment and NEET rates (young people neither in employment nor education/training). Based on the latest data, Finland and Sweden report the highest unemployment rates in the Nordic Region at 9.8% and 8.7% respectively.
For further analysis, you can explore the unemployment rates by age groups on an annual basis or by gender (see more below), as well as view other visualisations tracking NEET rates (young people neither in employment nor in education and training) and unemployment related to activity limitation and health problems.
Work-related accidents and absence from work
Updated visualisations include fatal and non-fatal work-related accidents. With the new filters, it is possible to adjust the view based on industry categories. Take a closer look below.
Data on sickness-related absences among employees is also available, broken down by gender and country, offering a comprehensive view of workplace health trends across the Nordics.
The labour market landing page offers interactive visualisations, filters, and tools to examine trends in detail. All graphs link to the underlying source matrices and downloadable data. Combined with the broader Nordic Statistics Database, they provide a comprehensive view of employment, unemployment, demography, and economic performance in the Nordic Region.
Additional updates in the database
In addition to the new features and updates in the labour market dashboard, the Nordic Statistics Database has also been updated in other areas:
- Economic indicators: economic growth, gross debt, net borrowing, and NEET rates; unemployment, trade, and inflation.
- Vision 2030: Greenhouse gas intensity, early school leavers, self-rated health, labour market integration, and cultural indicators.
- Bioeconomy and science: Agriculture, fisheries, and R&D staff.
- Financial and demographic data: Share price indices, 10-year government bond yields, and migration matrices.
The Nordic Statistics Database covers over 200 matrices, offering a rich source of Nordic data. Next round of regular updates will follow at the end of November, including new values and further data visualisations.
