Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 9.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Hong Kong, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Hong Kong recorded 9.9% for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in 2025.
The figure is down 4.6% on the previous year and down 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Hong Kong peaked at 18.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 4.7%, in 1991.
Hong Kong ranks 112th 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 Hong Kong, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.7% | — |
| 1992 | 4.7% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 4.8% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 5.0% | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 7.7% | +54.1% |
| 1996 | 7.7% | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 5.8% | -24.7% |
| 1998 | 11.9% | +106.9% |
| 1999 | 15.9% | +33.5% |
| 2000 | 11.9% | -25.0% |
| 2001 | 13.4% | +12.4% |
| 2002 | 18.1% | +34.6% |
| 2003 | 18.3% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 15.2% | -17.0% |
| 2005 | 13.7% | -9.4% |
| 2006 | 12.9% | -5.8% |
| 2007 | 11.0% | -14.8% |
| 2008 | 10.4% | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 15.2% | +45.4% |
| 2010 | 14.1% | -7.2% |
| 2011 | 11.0% | -22.2% |
| 2012 | 10.9% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 11.3% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 10.4% | -8.1% |
| 2015 | 11.4% | +9.3% |
| 2016 | 11.0% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 9.2% | -16.5% |
| 2018 | 10.0% | +8.8% |
| 2019 | 10.6% | +6.2% |
| 2020 | 17.5% | +64.7% |
| 2021 | 15.3% | -12.7% |
| 2022 | 12.0% | -21.4% |
| 2023 | 9.6% | -20.0% |
| 2024 | 10.4% | +8.7% |
| 2025 | 9.9% | -4.6% |
Hong Kong compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong's 9.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 13.9%, 72% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong's 9.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.8%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Hong Kong 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +106.9% | 5.8% | 11.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.6% | 4.7% | 15.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.0% | 10.4% | 18.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.0% | 9.2% | 14.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.4% | 9.6% | 17.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong
More work & labour data for Hong Kong
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 2,981 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 55.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,663 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.78 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.06 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 149,185 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,833 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 53.6 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.56 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -1.12 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Hong Kong?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Hong Kong was 9.9% 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 Hong Kong?
- The highest recorded value was 18.3% in 2003.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Hong Kong?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.7% in 1991.
- How does Hong Kong rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Hong Kong ranks 112th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Hong Kong?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hong Kong 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.