Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 3.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Ethiopia, 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 Ethiopia stood at 3.9%.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and up 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Ethiopia peaked at 4.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2006.
That places Ethiopia 166th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.4% | — |
| 1992 | 4.5% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 4.3% | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 4.2% | -3.1% |
| 1995 | 3.9% | -6.8% |
| 1996 | 3.8% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 3.7% | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 3.8% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 3.8% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 3.6% | -5.1% |
| 2001 | 3.3% | -7.9% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 2.9% | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | -8.4% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 2.5% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 2.6% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 2.6% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 2.5% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 2.6% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 2.7% | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 2.8% | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 3.0% | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 3.1% | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | +5.9% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | +5.0% |
| 2020 | 4.6% | +31.4% |
| 2021 | 4.6% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 4.0% | -13.4% |
| 2023 | 4.0% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3.9% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 3.9% | -1.6% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 3.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 7.2%, 54% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 3.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.0%, 43% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Ethiopia 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 | +31.4% | 3.5% | 4.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.1% | 3.7% | 4.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 2.5% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.9% | 2.5% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.1% | 3.9% | 4.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More work & labour data for Ethiopia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.4782 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4959 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4604 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.1765 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.96 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 74,537 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 116,333 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 183,282 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 184,008 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 367,290 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Ethiopia?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Ethiopia was 3.9% 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.6% in 2021.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2006.
- How does Ethiopia rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Ethiopia ranks 166th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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
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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.