Unemployment rate for young people in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Unemployment rate for young people was 15.55 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
15.55
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
76th
of 186 countries
All-time high
16.98
in 2022
All-time low
6.95
in 2014
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate for young people in Zimbabwe, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate for young people in Zimbabwe stood at 15.55.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 94.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate for young people in Zimbabwe peaked at 16.98 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 6.95, in 2014.
Zimbabwe ranks 76th of 186 countries on this measure, 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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.63 | — |
| 1992 | 10.92 | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 10.99 | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 10.88 | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 12.24 | +12.5% |
| 1996 | 13.59 | +11.0% |
| 1997 | 15.34 | +12.9% |
| 1998 | 13.96 | -9.0% |
| 1999 | 12.89 | -7.7% |
| 2000 | 11.94 | -7.4% |
| 2001 | 10.86 | -9.0% |
| 2002 | 9.89 | -9.0% |
| 2003 | 8.95 | -9.5% |
| 2004 | 7.84 | -12.4% |
| 2005 | 8.1 | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 8.23 | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 8.53 | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 9.03 | +5.8% |
| 2009 | 9.11 | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 9.09 | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 8.96 | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 8.17 | -8.8% |
| 2013 | 7.61 | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 6.95 | -8.7% |
| 2015 | 8.02 | +15.4% |
| 2016 | 8.95 | +11.6% |
| 2017 | 9.83 | +9.9% |
| 2018 | 10.69 | +8.7% |
| 2019 | 11.72 | +9.6% |
| 2020 | 14.24 | +21.5% |
| 2021 | 15.21 | +6.8% |
| 2022 | 16.98 | +11.7% |
| 2023 | 15.33 | -9.7% |
| 2024 | 15.43 | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 15.55 | +0.8% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 15.55 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.12, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 15.55 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.79, 1.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.38 | 10.63 | 15.34 | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.25 | 7.84 | 11.94 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9 | 6.95 | 11.72 | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.46 | 14.24 | 16.98 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More work & labour data for Zimbabwe
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1887 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1727 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.2032 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0937 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.81 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 13,627 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 16,032 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 19,130 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 18,036 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 37,167 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate for young people in Zimbabwe?
- Unemployment rate for young people in Zimbabwe was 15.55 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 16.98 in 2022.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.95 in 2014.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for unemployment rate for young people?
- Zimbabwe ranks 76th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate for young people rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 94.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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).