Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in North America
North America: Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) was 9.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in North America, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in North America stood at 9.4%.
The figure is up 10.6% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in North America peaked at 16.1% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 2023.
That places North America 21st out of 21 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in North America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 10.8% | — |
| 1961 | 12.7% | +17.6% |
| 1962 | 11.5% | -9.4% |
| 1963 | 12.4% | +7.8% |
| 1964 | 12.0% | -3.2% |
| 1965 | 10.9% | -9.2% |
| 1966 | 9.7% | -11.0% |
| 1967 | 9.7% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 9.7% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 9.1% | -6.2% |
| 1970 | 11.0% | +20.9% |
| 1971 | 12.6% | +14.5% |
| 1972 | 12.3% | -2.4% |
| 1973 | 11.2% | -8.9% |
| 1974 | 12.4% | +10.7% |
| 1975 | 15.5% | +25.0% |
| 1976 | 14.3% | -7.7% |
| 1977 | 13.9% | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 12.9% | -6.9% |
| 1979 | 12.2% | -5.6% |
| 1980 | 12.9% | +5.7% |
| 1981 | 13.8% | +6.6% |
| 1982 | 16.1% | +17.2% |
| 1983 | 15.9% | -1.7% |
| 1984 | 13.5% | -14.8% |
| 1985 | 13.1% | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 12.8% | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 11.7% | -8.7% |
| 1988 | 10.6% | -9.7% |
| 1989 | 10.3% | -2.6% |
| 1990 | 10.7% | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 12.5% | +16.8% |
| 1992 | 13.2% | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 12.5% | -5.5% |
| 1994 | 12.0% | -4.2% |
| 1995 | 11.9% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 11.7% | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 11.4% | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 10.1% | -10.8% |
| 1999 | 9.8% | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 9.2% | -6.3% |
| 2001 | 9.8% | +6.5% |
| 2002 | 11.2% | +14.4% |
| 2003 | 11.5% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 11.1% | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 10.2% | -8.0% |
| 2006 | 9.8% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 9.5% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 11.1% | +16.7% |
| 2009 | 14.6% | +32.2% |
| 2010 | 15.5% | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 15.4% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 14.4% | -6.1% |
| 2013 | 13.7% | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 12.1% | -11.7% |
| 2015 | 10.4% | -13.8% |
| 2016 | 9.5% | -9.3% |
| 2017 | 8.2% | -13.2% |
| 2018 | 7.8% | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 7.5% | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 15.3% | +102.9% |
| 2021 | 9.2% | -39.5% |
| 2022 | 7.6% | -17.8% |
| 2023 | 7.4% | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 8.5% | +15.2% |
| 2025 | 9.4% | +10.6% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in North America 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +102.9% | 7.5% | 15.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.8% | 9.1% | 12.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.8% | 11.0% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.1% | 10.3% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.6% | 9.8% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.8% | 9.2% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.5% | 7.5% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.6% | 7.4% | 15.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North America
More work & labour data for North America
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 56.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 62.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 67.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 51.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 52.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 52.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 78.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 84.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 69.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 74.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in North America?
- Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) in North America was 9.4% in 2025, 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 North America?
- The highest recorded value was 16.1% in 1982.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 2023.
- How does North America rank for unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24)?
- North America ranks 21st out of 21 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North America 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.
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About this data
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.