Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 8.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Nicaragua, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Nicaragua recorded 8.3% for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Nicaragua peaked at 11.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 2017.
That places Nicaragua 134th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 11.0% | — |
| 1992 | 10.9% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 10.9% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 10.8% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 10.5% | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 10.2% | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 10.2% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 10.4% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 10.4% | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 10.4% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 10.5% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 10.8% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 10.9% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 8.2% | -24.5% |
| 2005 | 7.6% | -7.1% |
| 2006 | 8.2% | +7.0% |
| 2007 | 7.1% | -13.4% |
| 2008 | 8.4% | +18.7% |
| 2009 | 10.8% | +28.4% |
| 2010 | 10.2% | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 8.6% | -15.9% |
| 2012 | 6.8% | -20.5% |
| 2013 | 7.9% | +14.8% |
| 2014 | 6.4% | -19.0% |
| 2015 | 7.0% | +10.4% |
| 2016 | 6.1% | -13.1% |
| 2017 | 5.3% | -12.8% |
| 2018 | 8.5% | +59.7% |
| 2019 | 8.8% | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 10.0% | +12.8% |
| 2021 | 9.7% | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 8.3% | -14.6% |
| 2023 | 8.0% | -3.5% |
| 2024 | 8.3% | +4.3% |
| 2025 | 8.3% | -0.5% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 8.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.6%, 86% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 8.3% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.0%, 64% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Nicaragua 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | +59.7% | 5.3% | 8.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.6% | 10.2% | 11.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.3% | 7.1% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.6% | 5.3% | 10.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.8% | 8.0% | 10.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
- 131 Samoa 8.5% compare
- 132 Kyrgyzstan 8.3% compare
- 133 Sao Tome and Principe 8.3% compare
- 135 Comoros 8.2% compare
- 136 Germany 7.7% compare
- 137 Uzbekistan 7.5% compare
More work & labour data for Nicaragua
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 1.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 1.41 % change on previous year (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 1.36 % change on previous year (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2248 % change on previous year (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.45 % change on previous year (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,954 1000 No (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 2,653 1000 No (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 3,468 1000 No (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 3,356 1000 No (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 6,916 1000 No (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Nicaragua?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Nicaragua was 8.3% 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 Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 11.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.3% in 2017.
- How does Nicaragua rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Nicaragua ranks 134th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.