Unemployment rate for young people in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Unemployment rate for young people was 8.96 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate for young people in Hong Kong, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate for young people in Hong Kong is 8.96, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 5.8% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate for young people in Hong Kong peaked at 15.53 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.2, in 1991.
That places Hong Kong 128th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate for young people in Hong Kong, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.2 | — |
| 1992 | 4.3 | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 4.46 | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 4.31 | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 6.83 | +58.5% |
| 1996 | 6.61 | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 5.17 | -21.8% |
| 1998 | 10.42 | +101.5% |
| 1999 | 13.95 | +33.9% |
| 2000 | 11.06 | -20.7% |
| 2001 | 11.2 | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 14.81 | +32.3% |
| 2003 | 14.84 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 12.07 | -18.6% |
| 2005 | 10.67 | -11.6% |
| 2006 | 10.37 | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 8.97 | -13.5% |
| 2008 | 8.51 | -5.1% |
| 2009 | 12.49 | +46.7% |
| 2010 | 12.1 | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 9.27 | -23.4% |
| 2012 | 9.23 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 9.44 | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 9.2 | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 10.42 | +13.3% |
| 2016 | 9.73 | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 8.53 | -12.3% |
| 2018 | 8.73 | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 8.53 | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 15.53 | +82.2% |
| 2021 | 12.79 | -17.7% |
| 2022 | 11.03 | -13.8% |
| 2023 | 8.97 | -18.6% |
| 2024 | 9.51 | +6.0% |
| 2025 | 8.96 | -5.8% |
Hong Kong compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong's 8.96 is below the median for high income countries, which is 13.81, 65% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong's 8.96 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.96, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate for young people in Hong Kong changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +101.5% | 5.17 | 10.42 |
| 2020 | +82.2% | 8.53 | 15.53 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.69 | 4.2 | 13.95 | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.5 | 8.51 | 14.84 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.52 | 8.53 | 12.1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.13 | 8.96 | 15.53 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong
- 125 Czechia 9.22 compare
- 126 Belarus 9.18 compare
- 127 Switzerland 9.04 compare
- 129 Netherlands 8.83 compare
- 130 Sao Tome and Principe 8.79 compare
- 131 Comoros 8.75 compare
More work & labour data for Hong Kong
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 2,981 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 55.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,663 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.78 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.06 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 149,185 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,833 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 53.6 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.56 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -1.12 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate for young people in Hong Kong?
- Unemployment rate for young people in Hong Kong was 8.96 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Hong Kong?
- The highest recorded value was 15.53 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Hong Kong?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2 in 1991.
- How does Hong Kong rank for unemployment rate for young people?
- Hong Kong ranks 128th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate for young people rising or falling in Hong Kong?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hong Kong data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate for young people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).