The unemployment rate in Romania advanced 0.3 percent in 2013 from the previous year, reaching 7.3 percent, according to data released on Thursday by the National Statistics Institute (INS). Unemployment among graduates among with medium, low and high levels of education was 7.9 percent, 6.9 percent and 5.8 percent respectively. The unemployment rate reached its highest level of 23.6 percent among young people between 15 and 24 years. The rate of long-term unemployment (one year and over) was 3.4 percent, affecting more women than men, and more persons living in urban areas than those in rural areas. For young people, the rate of unemployment for six months and over was 14.2 percent. According to the INS, in 2013, the economically active population of Romania was 9.977 million persons, out of which 9.247 million were employed and 730,000 were unemployed.