The youth unemployment rate in Kenya saw no significant changes in 2024 in comparison to the previous year 2023 and remained at around 11.93 percent. Still, 2024 marked the fourth consecutive decline of the youth unemployment rate. The youth unemployment rate of a country or region refers to the share of the total workforce aged 15 to 24 that is currently without work, but actively searching for employment. It does not include economically inactive persons such as full-time students or the long-term unemployed.Find more key insights for the youth unemployment rate in countries like Somalia and Burundi.

Graph and download economic data for Youth Unemployment Rate for Kenya (SLUEM1524ZSKEN) from 1991 to 2024 about Kenya, 15 to 24 years, unemployment, and rate.

The unemployment rate among young people in Kenya varied in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to the previous quarter. In the age group between 20 and 24 years, the rate stood at 15.6 percent, up from 14.2 percent in Q3 2022. Among young people aged 15 to 19 years, the unemployment level dropped to 10.9 percent, after reaching the highest level at 22.7 percent in Q3 2022.

Historical chart and dataset showing Kenya youth unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) in Kenya was reported at 12.42 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate in Kenya was higher among young people aged 20-24 years. The second most affected group was composed of Kenyans in the age range of 15 to 19 years. Among these, **** percent were unemployed. In the same period, the overall unemployment rate in Kenya was measured at *** percent.

Unemployment Rate in Kenya decreased to 5.40 percent in 2024 from 5.60 percent in 2023. This dataset provides - Kenya Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) in Kenya was reported at 17.15 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data was reported at 26.205 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 26.251 % for 2016. Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 21.574 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26.251 % in 2016 and a record low of 19.740 % in 1992. Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections. National estimates are also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

Kenya’s unemployment rate was 5.43 percent in 2024. This represents a steady decline from the increase after the financial crisis. What is unemployment? The unemployment rate of a country refers to the share of people who want to work but cannot find jobs. This includes workers who have lost jobs and are searching for new ones, workers whose jobs ended due to an economic downturn, and workers for whom there are no jobs because the labor supply in their industry is larger than the number of jobs available. Different statistics suggest which factors contribute to the overall unemployment rate. The Kenyan context The first type, so-called “search unemployment”, is hardest to see in the data. The closest proxy is Kenya’s inflation rate. As workers take new jobs faster, employers are forced to increase wages, leading to higher employment. Jobs lost due to economic downturns, called “cyclical unemployment”, can be seen by decreases in the GDP growth rate, which are not significant in Kenya. Finally, “structural unemployment” refers to workers changing the industry, or even economic sector, in which they are working. In Kenya, more and more workers switch to the services sector. This is often a result of urbanization, but any structural shift in the economy’s composition can lead to this unemployment.

Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth Female: % of Female Labour Force Aged 15-24 data was reported at 33.144 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 33.148 % for 2016. Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth Female: % of Female Labour Force Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 27.263 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33.148 % in 2016 and a record low of 24.392 % in 1997. Kenya KE: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth Female: % of Female Labour Force Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kenya – Table KE.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections. National estimates are also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

In Kenya, the share of young people aged 15 to 34 years old not in education, employment or training stood at 16.9 percent in the first quarter of 2021. The rate decreased from 18.1 percent in the previous quarter. However, in comparison to the first quarter of 2020, the percentage of young people who were no longer in the education system nor working or receiving professional training slightly grew from 16 percent.

Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate) in Kenya was reported at 11.93 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

The youth unemployment rate in Madagascar decreased to 5.39 percent compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, the last two years recorded a significantly higher youth unemployment rate than the preceding years.The youth unemployment rate of a country or region refers to the share of the total workforce aged 15 to 24 that is currently without work, but actively searching for employment. It does not include economically inactive persons such as full-time students or the long-term unemployed.Find more key insights for the youth unemployment rate in countries like Kenya and Somalia.

Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) in Kenya was reported at 8.214 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Kenya: Youth unemployment, ages 15-24: Pour cet indicateur, La Banque mondiale fournit des données pour la Kenya de 1991 à 2023. La valeur moyenne pour Kenya pendant cette période était de 7.84 pour cent avec un minimum de 6.15 pour cent en 1991 et un maximum de 13.31 pour cent en 2020.

The youth unemployment rate in Somalia saw no significant changes in 2024 in comparison to the previous year 2023 and remained at around 33.92 percent. The youth unemployment rate refers to the share of the economically active population aged 15 to 24 currently without work but in search of employment. The youth unemployment rate does not include economically inactive persons such as the long-term unemployed or full-time students.Find more key insights for the youth unemployment rate in countries like Kenya and Uganda.

South Africa is expected to register the highest unemployment rate in Africa in 2024, with around ** percent of the country's labor force being unemployed. Djibouti and Eswatini followed, with unemployment reaching roughly ** percent and ** percent, respectively. On the other hand, the lowest unemployment rates in Africa were in Niger and Burundi. The continent’s average stood at roughly ***** percent in the same year. Large shares of youth among the unemployed Due to several educational, socio-demographic, and economic factors, the young population is more likely to face unemployment in most regions of the world. In 2024, the youth unemployment rate in Africa was projected at around ** percent. The situation was particularly critical in certain countries. In 2022, Djibouti recorded a youth unemployment rate of almost ** percent, the highest rate on the continent. South Africa followed, with around ** percent of the young labor force being unemployed. Wide disparities in female unemployment Women are another demographic group often facing high unemployment. In Africa, the female unemployment rate stood at roughly ***** percent in 2023, compared to *** percent among men. The average female unemployment on the continent was not particularly high. However, there were significant disparities among African countries. Djibouti and South Africa topped the ranking once again in 2022, with female unemployment rates of around ** percent and ** percent, respectively. In contrast, Niger, Burundi, and Chad were far below Africa’s average, as only roughly *** percent or lower of the women in the labor force were unemployed.

In 2023, around 20 million people were employed in Kenya, this was an increase of some 900,000 individuals from the previous year. The employees belonged mostly to the informal sector. Roughly 16.7 million worked in informal conditions, whereas close to 3.3 million were employed in the formal sector. The informal sector constitutes an important part of the Kenyan economy, being related to employment creation, production, and income generation. Trends in the informal labor market and economic sectors The largest employment activities for people in the informal sector were in wholesale and retail trade, as well as hotels and restaurants, with 9.32 million people employed in these areas in 2022. Moreover, the hospitality sector in the country was the fastest-growing economic sector with a quarterly growth rate of 21.5 percent of the GDP. However, the largest economic sector as an added value to the GDP was the agricultural sector. Navigating unemployment challenges in Kenya Kenya’s unemployment rate is following a decreasing trend, which dropped below five percent at the end of 2022. However, unemployment among the youth in the same period was fairly high at 13.4 percent. The cohort with the highest level of unemployment was among the age group between 20 to 24 years old, with an unemployment rate of over 15 percent.

Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population) in Kenya was reported at 18.73 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Kenya - Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.