According to Funcas, the Spanish Savings Banks Foundation, in 2025, only 72% of young people aged 25 to 29 in Spain are employed. This figure is lower than the EU-27 average (77%) and places Spain in 26th position out of the 27 EU countries (ranking from highest to lowest rate), far behind the leaders: Lithuania (84%), the Netherlands (87%), and Malta (90%).
Funcas, which finds it striking that more than a quarter of young people aged 25 to 29 are not working, analyzed this data in its latest Nota de Coyuntura Social (Social Situation Note). The percentage of Spaniards aged 25 to 29 who are working relative to the total population of that age group is 14 points higher than the 2013 low (58%), but it is still below the 2007 peak (79%). Compared to 1987, the rate is 15 points higher (57%).
The recent improvement in youth employment rates—the number of young employed people as a percentage of the total youth population—is not exclusive to the 25-to-29 age bracket, but no age segment has recovered the level prior to the 2008-2013 crisis.
The employment rate for the 20-to-24 age segment has risen to 43%, a figure that is still lower than the pre-crisis peak (58%). In contrast, among the youngest group (16 to 19 years old), there are barely any signs of recovery: their employment rate is 8%, less than half of what it was before the crisis and even less than in the 1980s. In principle, the weakness of this rate among the youngest should not be a concern, as continued secondary education is desirable at those ages. However, the rate for the 20-to-24 age group could be worrying, as many more individuals in this segment could have already fully entered the labor market.
The increasing presence of the immigrant population does not appear to be a determining factor in the recent evolution of youth activity rates in Spain. Considering only those born in Spain, a decline or stagnation is also observed in the activity rates of young people aged 25 to 29. Among Spanish-born women, the rate decreased from 87% in 2012 to 85% in 2025, and among Spanish-born men, it fell from 89% in 2012 to 85% in 2025.
