Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) was 16.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Zimbabwe, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Zimbabwe is 16.2%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 78.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Zimbabwe peaked at 17.8% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 1994.
That places Zimbabwe 82nd out of 187 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, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.7% | — |
| 1992 | 6.8% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 6.7% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 6.6% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 8.1% | +22.7% |
| 1996 | 9.7% | +18.9% |
| 1997 | 11.5% | +19.2% |
| 1998 | 10.8% | -6.2% |
| 1999 | 10.3% | -4.9% |
| 2000 | 10.0% | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 9.6% | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 9.3% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 9.0% | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 8.6% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 9.0% | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 9.2% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 9.6% | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 10.1% | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 10.3% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 10.3% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 10.3% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 9.4% | -8.4% |
| 2013 | 8.8% | -6.6% |
| 2014 | 8.1% | -8.2% |
| 2015 | 9.1% | +12.5% |
| 2016 | 9.9% | +9.4% |
| 2017 | 10.7% | +8.1% |
| 2018 | 11.5% | +7.3% |
| 2019 | 12.5% | +8.2% |
| 2020 | 15.5% | +24.0% |
| 2021 | 16.3% | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 17.8% | +9.4% |
| 2023 | 16.4% | -7.9% |
| 2024 | 16.5% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 16.2% | -1.9% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 16.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.3%, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 16.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.5%, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.6% | 6.6% | 11.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.5% | 8.6% | 10.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.1% | 8.1% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.5% | 15.5% | 17.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 79 Equatorial Guinea 17.1% compare
- 80 Dominican Republic 16.9% compare
- 81 Brazil 16.6% compare
- 83 Belgium 15.6% compare
- 84 Paraguay 15.2% compare
- 85 Azerbaijan 14.7% compare
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, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Zimbabwe?
- Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Zimbabwe was 16.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 17.8% in 2022.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 1994.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24)?
- Zimbabwe ranks 82nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 78.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.