Youth unemployment rate (modelled ILO estimate)

181 countries, 2025. Unit: % of labour force aged 15-24.

First in the ranking
0.5 %
Niger
Median country
12.7 %
half above, half below
World
13.4 %
World Bank aggregate
Range
0.5 to 76.8
Niger - Djibouti

How to read it

Across 181 countries worldwide, the highest value is in Djibouti (76.8 %) and the lowest in Niger (0.5 %).

The median country is at 12.7 %: half are above, half below.

For the world as a whole, the value fell from 13.6 % in 1996 to 13.4 % in 2025.

Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.

Compare selected countries · on the world map

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external… · via World Bank WDI (SL.UEM.1524.ZS) · licence

Youth unemployment over time

%

Add to chart:

Ranking of countries

2025
In chart Continent Share of the highest value
1Niger0.5Africa
2Qatar0.6Asia
3Cambodia0.7Asia
4Chad1.5Africa
5Burundi1.7Africa
6Liberia2.3Africa
7Tanzania2.4Africa
8Laos2.4Asia
9Solomon Islands2.8Oceania
10Guinea-Bissau2.8Africa
11Benin2.9Africa
12Togo3.4Africa
13Senegal3.6Africa
14Timor-Leste3.7Asia
15Sierra Leone3.7Africa
16Papua New Guinea3.8Oceania
17Kazakhstan3.8Asia
18Mali3.9Africa
19Japan3.9Asia
20Côte d'Ivoire4.0Africa
21Uganda4.2Africa
22Moldova4.2Europe
23Cuba4.3North America
24Thailand4.5Asia
25Guatemala4.8North America
26Bolivia5.0South America
27Madagascar5.2Africa
28Nigeria5.3Africa
29Ethiopia5.4Africa
30Bahrain5.4Asia
31Mexico5.7North America
32Ghana5.8Africa
33Tonga6.0Oceania
34Israel6.0Asia
35Vietnam6.2Asia
36Burkina Faso6.4Africa
37United Arab Emirates6.5Asia
38Cameroon6.5Africa
39South Korea6.7Asia
40Macao6.8Asia
41Singapore6.8Asia
42Germany6.9Europe
43Malawi6.9Africa
44Guinea7.0Africa
45Philippines7.0Asia
46Russia7.6Europe
47El Salvador7.8North America
48Democratic Republic of the Congo7.8Africa
49North Korea7.9Asia
50Ecuador8.2South America
51Trinidad and Tobago8.2North America
52Kyrgyzstan8.2Asia
53Malta8.4Europe
54Honduras8.5North America
55Iceland8.7Europe
56Comoros8.8Africa
57São Tomé and Principe8.8Africa
58Netherlands8.8Europe
59Hong Kong9.0Asia
60Switzerland9.0Europe
61Belarus9.2Europe
62Czechia9.2Europe
63United States9.3North America
64Bangladesh9.4Asia
65Peru9.5South America
66Slovenia9.5Europe
67Nicaragua9.5North America
68Pakistan9.6Asia
69Australia9.6Oceania
70Myanmar9.8Asia
71Saudi Arabia10.0Asia
72Turkmenistan10.0Asia
73Central African Republic10.1Africa
74Bulgaria10.2Europe
75Eritrea10.2Africa
76Venezuela10.4South America
77Zambia10.5Africa
78Ireland10.5Europe
79Poland10.7Europe
80Jamaica10.8North America
81The Gambia10.9Africa
82Austria11.0Europe
83Vanuatu11.3Oceania
84Uzbekistan11.4Asia
85Mozambique11.6Africa
86Paraguay11.7South America
87Mongolia11.7Asia
88Denmark11.7Europe
89Malaysia12.0Asia
90Dominican Republic12.3North America
91Cyprus12.7Asia
92Latvia13.0Europe
93Indonesia13.0Asia
94Samoa13.0Oceania
95Azerbaijan13.1Asia
96Norway13.4Europe
97Lithuania13.8Europe
98Canada13.8North America
99Guam13.8Oceania
100Oman13.9Asia
101Brazil14.0South America
102Puerto Rico14.0North America
103Hungary14.2Europe
104New Zealand14.4Oceania
105Tajikistan14.6Asia
106United Kingdom14.6Europe
107Kuwait15.1Asia
108Fiji15.2Oceania
109Kenya15.2Africa
110Zimbabwe15.5Africa
111Maldives15.7Asia
112Equatorial Guinea15.7Africa
113China15.8Asia
114India16.0Asia
115Türkiye16.0Asia
116Rwanda16.4Africa
117Croatia16.5Europe
118Afghanistan16.8Asia
119Bhutan17.1Asia
120Mauritius17.4Africa
121Colombia17.7South America
122Belgium17.8Europe
123Brunei18.2Asia
124Egypt18.3Africa
125Slovakia18.4Europe
126Barbados18.5North America
127Sri Lanka18.6Asia
128France18.9Europe
129Argentina19.2South America
130Bahamas19.2North America
131Belize19.3North America
132Estonia19.7Europe
133Panama19.8North America
134Costa Rica19.9North America
135Portugal20.2Europe
136Saint Lucia20.3North America
137Italy20.5Europe
138Nepal20.6Asia
139Serbia20.9Europe
140Greece21.4Europe
141Luxembourg21.5Europe
142Finland21.5Europe
143Chile21.6South America
144Morocco21.9Africa
145Iran21.9Asia
146Mauritania22.9Africa
147United States Virgin Islands24.2North America
148Sweden24.3Europe
149Montenegro24.4Europe
150Romania24.5Europe
151Lesotho24.7Africa
152Spain24.7Europe
153Guyana24.9South America
154Uruguay25.1South America
155Suriname25.4South America
156Albania25.6Europe
157Armenia26.2Asia
158Angola27.2Africa
159Bosnia and Herzegovina28.2Europe
160Cabo Verde28.4Africa
161North Macedonia28.8Europe
162Algeria29.4Africa
163Georgia30.3Asia
164Iraq32.0Asia
165Yemen32.6Asia
166Syria33.1Asia
167New Caledonia33.1Oceania
168Somalia34.2Africa
169Gabon36.3Africa
170French Polynesia36.6Oceania
171Haiti37.5North America
172Namibia38.1Africa
173Tunisia38.1Africa
174Jordan38.9Asia
175Republic of the Congo40.5Africa
176Saint Vincent and the Grenadines41.9North America
177Botswana46.0Africa
178Libya50.1Africa
179Eswatini54.3Africa
180South Africa59.9Africa
181Djibouti76.8Africa
World Bank, WDI · SL.UEM.1524.ZS · 2025 · CC BY 4.0 Source and licence

Biggest changes, 2015-2025

change in percentage points · 181 countries

Largest increase

  1. Suriname 13.0 → 25.4 +12.4 pp
  2. Botswana 34.7 → 46.0 +11.3 pp
  3. Iraq 21.4 → 32.0 +10.6 pp
  4. South Africa 50.1 → 59.9 +9.8 pp
  5. Myanmar 1.6 → 9.8 +8.2 pp

Largest decrease

  1. Bosnia and Herzegovina 65.2 → 28.2 −37.0 pp
  2. Greece 49.7 → 21.4 −28.3 pp
  3. Saint Lucia 47.0 → 20.3 −26.7 pp
  4. Croatia 42.3 → 16.5 −25.8 pp
  5. Spain 48.4 → 24.7 −23.6 pp

Continents over time

median country of each continent

Youth unemployment - continent medians

%

Africa Asia Europe North America South America Oceania

5 10 15 20 25 30 1991 Africa: 10.96 Asia: 5.37 Europe: 13.85 North America: 14.99 South America: 12.3 Oceania: 10.44 1992 Africa: 11.22 Asia: 5.95 Europe: 13.45 North America: 15.51 South America: 13 Oceania: 10.59 1993 Africa: 11.39 Asia: 7.74 Europe: 23.19 North America: 16.85 South America: 11.32 Oceania: 12.23 1994 Africa: 11.43 Asia: 8.87 Europe: 21.87 North America: 15.67 South America: 13.52 Oceania: 13.78 1995 Africa: 12.24 Asia: 8.86 Europe: 19.48 North America: 15.13 South America: 14.84 Oceania: 12.27 1996 Africa: 12.14 Asia: 8.86 Europe: 20.5 North America: 15.4 South America: 18.75 Oceania: 12.25 1997 Africa: 12.01 Asia: 8.95 Europe: 21.21 North America: 16.01 South America: 18.2 Oceania: 13.61 1998 Africa: 12.9 Asia: 10.14 Europe: 20.39 North America: 15.14 South America: 19 Oceania: 14.02 1999 Africa: 12.89 Asia: 11.28 Europe: 22.2 North America: 14.05 South America: 24.4 Oceania: 13.11 2000 Africa: 11.94 Asia: 10.26 Europe: 20.48 North America: 13.55 South America: 24.07 Oceania: 12.08 2001 Africa: 11.26 Asia: 10.13 Europe: 17.91 North America: 13.81 South America: 23.11 Oceania: 12.09 2002 Africa: 11.02 Asia: 10.81 Europe: 18.85 North America: 14.46 South America: 24.44 Oceania: 12.51 2003 Africa: 10.95 Asia: 11.31 Europe: 17.57 North America: 15.05 South America: 23.72 Oceania: 12.25 2004 Africa: 10.68 Asia: 11.13 Europe: 18.59 North America: 14.53 South America: 22.28 Oceania: 11.58 2005 Africa: 10.55 Asia: 11.3 Europe: 16.22 North America: 15.52 South America: 21.34 Oceania: 10.62 2006 Africa: 10.14 Asia: 10.53 Europe: 16.5 North America: 13.29 South America: 20.35 Oceania: 10.26 2007 Africa: 10.15 Asia: 10.13 Europe: 14.82 North America: 12.33 South America: 19.52 Oceania: 11.05 2008 Africa: 10.1 Asia: 9.82 Europe: 15.35 North America: 12.76 South America: 18.24 Oceania: 11.41 2009 Africa: 10.25 Asia: 11.83 Europe: 21.38 North America: 16.77 South America: 19.67 Oceania: 12.48 2010 Africa: 10.47 Asia: 11.23 Europe: 22.39 North America: 16.92 South America: 16.21 Oceania: 13.06 2011 Africa: 10.19 Asia: 10.16 Europe: 22.7 North America: 16.96 South America: 17.47 Oceania: 13.69 2012 Africa: 9.97 Asia: 10.15 Europe: 22.81 North America: 16.21 South America: 16.39 Oceania: 13.93 2013 Africa: 9.8 Asia: 10.36 Europe: 23.24 North America: 16.9 South America: 16.45 Oceania: 14.2 2014 Africa: 9.73 Asia: 10.47 Europe: 22.82 North America: 13.41 South America: 15.55 Oceania: 14.11 2015 Africa: 10.03 Asia: 11.22 Europe: 20.24 North America: 16.43 South America: 14.57 Oceania: 13.87 2016 Africa: 9.82 Asia: 12.27 Europe: 17.27 North America: 16.55 South America: 17.04 Oceania: 12.89 2017 Africa: 9.36 Asia: 12.25 Europe: 15.47 North America: 14.82 South America: 18.1 Oceania: 12.97 2018 Africa: 9.57 Asia: 11.77 Europe: 13.76 North America: 14.85 South America: 18.79 Oceania: 11.99 2019 Africa: 9.85 Asia: 11.52 Europe: 12.46 North America: 15.96 South America: 19.81 Oceania: 12.34 2020 Africa: 10.86 Asia: 14.15 Europe: 16.99 North America: 20.09 South America: 25.81 Oceania: 14.14 2021 Africa: 10.44 Asia: 12.92 Europe: 16.14 North America: 16.87 South America: 21.93 Oceania: 11.13 2022 Africa: 10.16 Asia: 12.89 Europe: 14.26 North America: 13.57 South America: 18.65 Oceania: 11.61 2023 Africa: 10 Asia: 12.15 Europe: 13.25 North America: 11.56 South America: 17.94 Oceania: 11.49 2024 Africa: 10.06 Asia: 11.52 Europe: 14.7 North America: 13.08 South America: 17.45 Oceania: 12.67 2025 Africa: 10.24 Asia: 11.55 Europe: 14.43 North America: 13.8 South America: 15.82 Oceania: 12.98 1991 2001 2006 2011 2016 2025

By continent

median country
Africa 10.2 %
Asia 11.5 %
Europe 14.4 %
North America 13.8 %
South America 15.8 %
Oceania 13.0 %

Tick a country in the table to add it to the chart above, up to six at a time. The ranking uses the latest year for which at least half of the countries have a value; countries without a value that year are not listed.