Ireland has the lowest rate of unemployment in the European Union for those under the age of 25, according European Commission data.
Figures released today by statistics office Eurostat show that 5.9 per cent of under-25s are unemployed in Ireland.
This compares with 6.3 per cent in the Netherlands and 7 per cent unemployment rate for the same category in Denmark.
At the other end of the list, more than one-fifth of those under the age of 25 are unemployed in Greece (24 per cent), France (21.8 per cent), Poland (21.3 per cent) and Romania (20.3 per cent).
The overall unemployment figure for the European Union is 15 per cent.
Ireland has the fourth-lowest rate of unemployment, with 4 per cent out of work in June, significantly lower than the European average of 6.9 per cent in both the euro zone and the EU.
The three lowest rates were recorded in the Netherlands, at 3.3 per cent; Denmark, at 3.5 per cent; and Cyprus, at 3.9 per cent.
The highest level of unemployment is in Slovakia at 10.7 per cent and Poland where it stands at 10.2 per cent.
Although Poland has the second highest unemployment rate in the European Union, it also recorded the highest decrease in unemployment, falling from 13.9 per cent in June 2006 to 10.2 per cent this year.
It is estimated that 16.1 million people were unemployed in the EU in June, including 10.4 million from the 13 countries of the euro zone. This compares to 18.5 million in the EU in June 2006, of which 11.7 million were in the euro zone.