Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 13.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Bangladesh, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Bangladesh recorded 13.3% for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in 2025.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 38.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Bangladesh peaked at 15.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 5.8%, in 2006.
Bangladesh ranks 85th of 187 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, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.1% | — |
| 1992 | 6.2% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 6.4% | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 6.6% | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 6.8% | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 7.0% | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 7.6% | +9.4% |
| 1998 | 8.3% | +8.8% |
| 1999 | 9.0% | +8.1% |
| 2000 | 9.6% | +7.4% |
| 2001 | 8.8% | -8.4% |
| 2002 | 7.9% | -10.6% |
| 2003 | 6.8% | -13.7% |
| 2004 | 7.2% | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 7.5% | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 5.8% | -23.1% |
| 2007 | 6.6% | +14.1% |
| 2008 | 7.4% | +12.7% |
| 2009 | 8.3% | +11.6% |
| 2010 | 5.8% | -29.3% |
| 2011 | 7.1% | +21.7% |
| 2012 | 8.4% | +17.6% |
| 2013 | 9.7% | +15.5% |
| 2014 | 9.6% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 9.6% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 9.6% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 10.1% | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 10.8% | +7.0% |
| 2019 | 11.6% | +7.8% |
| 2020 | 14.6% | +25.7% |
| 2021 | 15.3% | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 14.3% | -6.5% |
| 2023 | 11.1% | -22.5% |
| 2024 | 13.2% | +19.3% |
| 2025 | 13.3% | +0.5% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 13.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.6%, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 13.3% is below the median for South Asia, which is 15.7%, 85% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.1% | 6.1% | 9.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.6% | 5.8% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.2% | 5.8% | 11.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.6% | 11.1% | 15.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More work & labour data for Bangladesh
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4985 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4763 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.5215 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 117,837 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 84,090 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 104,333 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 104,263 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 208,597 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Bangladesh?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Bangladesh was 13.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 15.3% in 2021.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.8% in 2006.
- How does Bangladesh rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Bangladesh ranks 85th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, youth male (% of male 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.