Spain's unemployment rate unexpectedly edged lower to 16.13% in the fourth quarter of the year from 16.26% three months earlier, data from the National Statistics Institute showed on Thursday, as the country's economic activity remained hindered by restrictions seeking to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast Spain's unemployment rate would reach 16.6%. The rate stood at 13.78% in the fourth quarter of 2019.