The rate varied between 11.7% in the centre of the country and 18.5% in Lisbon at the end of last year, with disparities in unemployment rates between the various Portuguese regions increasing.
The Algarve lost the top spot to Lisbon and the centre of the country remains the region with the lowest rate of unemployment.
In Europe, the lowest unemployment rate recorded is in Upper Bavaria in Germany with 2.6%. The highest rate is found in Andalucía with 36.3%.
All of Portugal’s regions are above the EU average with the national rate up from 15.7% in 2012 to 16.3% last year, as planned by the government.
Unemployment rates in the various Portuguese regions:
2012 2013
Portugal 15.7% 16.3 %
North 16.1% 17.2 %
Algarve 17.9 % 17.1 %
Center 12.0% 11.7%
Lisbon 17.6 % 18.5 %
Alentejo 15.9 % 16.8 %
Azores 15.3 % 17.0 %
Madeira 17.5% 18.3%
Portugal’s unemployment rate is the fourth highest in the European Union, just behind Greece, Spain and Croatia.
Austria and Germany have the lowest regional average of around 5%.
Regarding youth unemployment Portugal's national average was 37.7%. The lowest was once again in the centre of the country with 31% of young people between 15 and 24 unemployed.
Madeira had a rate of 51.5% with more than half of young people available to work remaining unemployed .
