From 2000 until 2019, youth unemployment fluctuated between 13 and 15.5 percent, before it rose above 17 percent in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Youth unemployment Just like the general unemployment rate, youth unemployment is recorded and monitored to gauge the job market situation in a country and worldwide. Youth unemployment includes unemployed individuals aged 15 to 24, typically referring to those who have either just finished school or graduated and are looking for jobs. In order to be registered as unemployed, a person must be able to work, unemployed, and looking for a job. Usually youth unemployment is higher than adult unemployment, as many graduates do not find employment right after they have graduated. Regional breakdown The world region with the highest youth unemployment rate has been the Arab World for the past two decades, while East Asia and the Pacific has generally had the lowest rate. Apart from the sharp rise in 2020, the most notable increase came in 2009 as a result of the Great Recession; while this increase can be observed on a global scale, its impact on youth unemployment was more severely felt in more advanced economies in Europe and North America.

The average for 2023 based on 177 countries was 15.77 percent. The highest value was in Djibouti: 76.27 percent and the lowest value was in Niger: 0.42 percent. The indicator is available from 1991 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Several of the countries with the highest youth unemployment rates worldwide in 2024 are located in Africa. Djibouti had the highest rate at 76.32 percent, followed by South Africa and Eswatini.

Globally, the youth unemployment rate (of those aged 15-24 years) fluctuated between 13 and 15.5 percent in each year between 2000 and 2019, before it rose above 17 percent in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Broken down by global region, however, there was much more variation. The Arab World was the region with the highest rate of youth unemployment in each year of the previous two decades, while East Asia and the Pacific generally had the lowest youth unemployment rate. Additionally there was a notable increase in regions with the most advanced economies after 2008, as these were the most severely hit during the Great Recession.

This dataset provides values for YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

🌍 This dataset provides global youth unemployment rates for individuals aged 15–24 across all available countries and years, giving a comprehensive view of labor market conditions for young people worldwide.

🔍 Youth unemployment measures young people who are actively looking for work but cannot find a job. According to World Bank standards, students who are not participating in the labor force are not included, while students who are actively job-seeking are counted. Only individuals who are available for work and searching for employment are considered unemployed. This makes the dataset a precise reflection of labor market pressure among young job seekers.

📊 This dataset contains 17,290 rows and 4 columns: Country, CountryCode, Year, and YouthUnemployment. It includes data for all available countries and territories and spans the years 1960–2023. Some values are missing for certain countries and years where data is not available.

💹 Youth unemployment is an important indicator of economic health, social development, and workforce stability. Monitoring these rates helps reveal patterns in youth labor markets, including regional disparities, historical trends, and the effects of economic policies. The dataset allows for cross-country comparisons, time-series analysis, and identification of long-term shifts in youth employment opportunities. It is a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and analysts seeking to understand the challenges faced by young populations as they transition from education to the workforce.

Niger was the country in the world with the lowest youth unemployment rate at only 0.4 percent in 2023. Sub-Saharan Africa is the world region with the highest youth unemployment rates worldwide. Qatar had the second lowest youth unemployment rate in the world at 0.5 percent, followed by Cambodia at 0.7 percent. The unemployment rate only shows the share of youth who have actively registered as unemployed, not the actual share of youth who are out of employment.

This dataset provides values for YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE.439 reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Graph and download economic data for Youth Unemployment Rate for Developing Countries in East Asia and Pacific (SLUEM1524ZSEAP) from 1991 to 2024 about East Asia, Pacific, unemployment, and rate.

The number of unemployed youth worldwide decreased gradually from 2010 to 2019, but then increased in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 2025, there were an estimated 66.94 million unemployed youths between 15 and 24 years worldwide. Highest youth unemployment globally The countries with the highest rates of youth not in education, employment, or training (NEET) include Niger, Kiribati, Guyana, Somalia, and Afghanistan. While there is geographic diversity in this group, each of these countries is either low-income or low-middle income. Moreover, each has their own set of challenges contributing to high NEET rates. For example, in Afghanistan, this can be attributed to conflict and the 2021 Taliban takeover. In Kiribati and other Pacific Island nations, they face high levels of brain drain to larger economies such as Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Lowest youth unemployment globally On the contrary, countries with the lowest youth NEET rates include Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland, and Malta. Factors such as well-structured vocational training programs and affordable university education contribute to low NEET rates. However, these countries still face their own challenges. For example, one contributing factor to such low NEET rates in Japan is the overall shrinkage of the Japanese population, which is simultaneously aging. While unemployment remains low in the country, it faces the potential crisis of not having enough people to support the labor market.

This dataset provides values for YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

The domain 'Youth Employment' is based on the results of the European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS).

The EU-LFS is a quarterly household sample survey carried out in the Member States of the European Union, EFTA countries (except for Liechtenstein) and Candidate Countries (Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey). It is the main source of information about the situation and trends on the labour market in the European Union.

Since 1 January 2021, the EU-LFS is based on Regulation (EU) 2019/1700, also called the Integrated European Social Statistics Framework Regulation (IESS FR), and its Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240.

According to the regulations in force since 1 January 2021, the EU-LFS is organised in 9 topics:

• Technical items
• Person and household characteristics;
• Labour market participation;
• Educational attainment and background;
• Job tenure, work biography and previous work experience;
• Working conditions including working hours and working time arrangements;
• Participation in education and training;
• Health: status and disability, access to, availability and use of health care and health determinants;
• Income, consumption and elements of wealth, including debts.

The survey's target population consists of all persons in private households, although the variables related to labour market are only collected for persons aged 15-89 years and education and training for persons aged 15-74 years.

Detailed information on main features, legal basis, methodology and data as well as on the historical development of the EU-LFS is available on the EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) webpage.

Historical dataset showing World youth unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

The statistic shows the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate in EU member states as of July 2025. The source defines youth unemployment as unemployment of those younger than 25 years. In July 2025, the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate in Spain was at 26.6 percent. Youth unemployment rate in EU member states Unemployment is a crucial economic factor for a country; youth unemployment is often examined separately because it tends to be higher than unemployment in older age groups. It comprises the unemployment figures of a country’s labor force aged 15 to 24 years old (i.e. the earliest point at which mandatory school education ends). Typically, teenagers and those in their twenties who are fresh out of education do not find jobs right away, especially if the country’s economy is experiencing difficulties, as can be seen above. Additionally, it also tends to be higher in emerging markets than in industrialized nations. Worldwide, youth unemployment figures have not changed significantly over the last decade, nor are they expected to improve in the next few years. Youth unemployment is most prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa, even though these regions report high unemployment figures regardless (Zimbabwe and Turkmenistan are among the countries with the highest unemployment rates in the world, for example), and are also highly populated areas with a rather weak infrastructure, compared to industrialized regions. In the European Union and the euro area, unemployment in general has been on the rise since 2008, which is due to the economic crisis which caused bankruptcy and financial trouble for many employers, and thus led to considerable job loss, less job offerings, and consequently, to a rise of the unemployment rate. Older workers are struggling to find new jobs despite their experience, and young graduates are struggling to find new jobs, because they have none. All in all, the number of unemployed persons worldwide is projected to rise, this is not down to the economic crisis alone, but also the industrial automation of processes previously performed by workers, as well as rising population figures.

Graph and download economic data for Youth Unemployment Rate for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia (SLUEM1524ZSECA) from 1991 to 2024 about Central Asia, Europe, unemployment, and rate.

Graph and download economic data for Youth Unemployment Rate for Least Developed Countries (SLUEM1524ZSLDC) from 1991 to 2024 about unemployment and rate.

Graph and download economic data for Youth Unemployment Rate for Developing Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SLUEM1524ZSSSA) from 1991 to 2024 about Sub-Saharan Africa, unemployment, and rate.

The global youth unemployment rate increased somewhat since the beginning of the millennium. It was at its highest during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In 2023, global youth unemployment was at **** percent.

Historical dataset showing Africa youth unemployment rate by year from N/A to N/A.

United States - Youth Unemployment Rate for World was 13.57% in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Youth Unemployment Rate for World reached a record high of 17.21 in January of 2020 and a record low of 10.67 in January of 1991. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Youth Unemployment Rate for World - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.