Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) was 28.5% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
28.5%
Change on year
down 7.1%
Rank
1st
of 21 groups
All-time high
30.6%
in 2020
All-time low
20.4%
in 2007
Years of data
14
2006–2021

Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), 2006–2021

01020302006201320212006: 212007: 20.42008: 21.52009: 22.72010: 27.22011: 22.42012: 252013: 24.92014: 25.22015: 25.12016: 24.22019: 24.92020: 30.62021: 28.5

Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).

Analysis

In 2021, unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) stood at 28.5%.

That represents a change of down 7.1% on the previous year and up 26.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) peaked at 30.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 20.4%, in 2007.

That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 1st out of 21 groups with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.

Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), year by year

Annual values for Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), 2006 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2006 21.0%
2007 20.4% -3.2%
2008 21.5% +5.9%
2009 22.7% +5.2%
2010 27.2% +19.8%
2011 22.4% -17.4%
2012 25.0% +11.4%
2013 24.9% -0.3%
2014 25.2% +0.9%
2015 25.1% -0.3%
2016 24.2% -3.5%
2019 24.9% +2.8%
2020 30.6% +23.1%
2021 28.5% -7.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 21.4% 20.4% 22.7% 4
2010s 24.9% 22.4% 27.2% 8
2020s 29.6% 28.5% 30.6% 2

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)

  1. 1 South Africa 63.8% compare
  2. 2 Iraq 62.2% compare
  3. 3 Palestine 56.1% compare
  4. 4 Botswana 49.0% compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More work & labour data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) was 28.5% in 2021, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
The highest recorded value was 30.6% in 2020.
What is the lowest unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
The lowest recorded value was 20.4% in 2007.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) rank for unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24)?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 1st out of 21 groups with data for 2021.
Is unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
Over the last ten years it is up 26.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) data come from?
The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income). Statizoid, drawing on Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/unemployment-youth-female-percent-of-female-labor-force-ages-15-24-national-estimate/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-excluding-high-income/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/unemployment-youth-female-percent-of-female-labor-force-ages-15-24-national-estimate/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan-excluding-high-income/">Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate)
Source
Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
178 places, 4,080 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.