29/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - In December 2009, the euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 10.0%, compared with 9.9% in November and 8.2% in December 2008. The EU27 unemployment rate was 9.6% in December 2009, compared with 9.5% in November and 7.6% in December 2008. For the euro area this is the highest rate since August 1998 and for the EU27 since the start of the series in January 2000, figures published by Eurostat on Friday 29 January reveal. The lowest unemployment rates were recorded in the Netherlands (4.0%) and Austria (5.4%), and the highest rates in Latvia (22.8%) and Spain (19.5%). Compared with a year ago, all member states recorded an increase in their unemployment rate. The smallest increases were in Germany (7.1% to 7.5%), Luxembourg (5.3% to 6.2%) and Belgium (7.1% to 8.2%). The highest increases were registered in Latvia (11.3% to 22.8%), Estonia (6.5% to 15.2% between the third quarters of 2008 and 2009) and Lithuania (6.5% to 14.6% between the third quarters of 2008 and 2009).