The percentage was down from 7.1% the previous month and 9% year on year.

Youth unemployment in Cyprus stood at 20% or 8,000 individuals in December 2018, down from 22.3% in March 2018.

The figures were published on Tuesday by Eurostat.

In the euro area (EA19) the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 7.7% in March 2019, down from 7.8% in February 2019 and from 8.5% in March 2018. This was the lowest rate recorded in the euro area since September 2008.

The EU28 unemployment rate was 6.4% in March 2019, down from 6.5% in February 2019 and from 7% in March 2018. This was the lowest rate recorded in the EU28 since the start of the EU monthly unemployment series in January 2000. Eurostat estimates that 15.9 million men and women in the EU28 were unemployed in March 2019. Compared with February 2019, the number unemployed decreased by 172,000 in the EU28. Compared with March 2018, unemployment fell by 1.43 million in the EU28.

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates in March 2019 were recorded in Czechia at 1.9%, Germany 3.2% and the Netherlands 3.3%.

The highest unemployment rates were observed in Greece at 18.5% in January 2019, Spain 14% and Italy 10.2%.

Source: Cyprus Mail