Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) … modeled in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) … modeled was 9.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 9.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 11.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.4%, in 2005.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 114th 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 male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) … modeled in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.0% | — |
| 1992 | 7.1% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 7.2% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 7.2% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 7.0% | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 6.8% | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 6.8% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 6.8% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 6.8% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 6.9% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 6.9% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6.7% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 6.6% | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 6.4% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 7.0% | +9.9% |
| 2007 | 7.6% | +9.1% |
| 2008 | 8.3% | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 9.0% | +8.2% |
| 2010 | 9.6% | +6.9% |
| 2011 | 10.2% | +6.5% |
| 2012 | 10.8% | +5.4% |
| 2013 | 10.6% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 10.4% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 10.3% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 10.4% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 10.4% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 10.3% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 10.2% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 11.7% | +15.1% |
| 2021 | 11.2% | -3.9% |
| 2022 | 10.0% | -10.7% |
| 2023 | 9.9% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 9.9% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 9.8% | -1.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 9.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 7.2%, 1.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 9.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.0%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.0% | 6.8% | 7.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 7.2% | 6.4% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.3% | 9.6% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.4% | 9.8% | 11.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More work & labour data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 23,407 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 64.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 41,856 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.48 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 4,595 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 1,696 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 61.26 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.69 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 3.33 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Democratic Republic of Congo was 9.8% 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 11.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.4% in 2005.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 114th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.
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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.