Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 4.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Papua New Guinea, 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 Papua New Guinea stood at 4.6%.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Papua New Guinea peaked at 6.5% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 2010.
Papua New Guinea ranks 161st of 187 countries on this measure, 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 Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.2% | — |
| 1992 | 6.0% | -3.4% |
| 1993 | 5.7% | -4.7% |
| 1994 | 5.8% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 6.0% | +4.5% |
| 1996 | 6.2% | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 6.4% | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 6.4% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 6.5% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 6.4% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 6.2% | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 6.0% | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 5.8% | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 5.5% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 5.2% | -5.0% |
| 2006 | 5.0% | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 4.8% | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 4.7% | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 4.5% | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 4.2% | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 5.9% | +38.7% |
| 2012 | 5.8% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 5.8% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 5.5% | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 5.4% | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 5.2% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 5.2% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 5.2% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 5.1% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 5.4% | +6.8% |
| 2021 | 5.2% | -3.8% |
| 2022 | 4.6% | -11.6% |
| 2023 | 4.6% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 4.6% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 4.6% | -0.3% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 4.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.6%, 48% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 4.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.8%, 52% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Papua New Guinea 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +38.7% | 4.2% | 5.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.1% | 5.7% | 6.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.4% | 4.5% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.3% | 4.2% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 4.6% | 5.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More work & labour data for Papua New Guinea
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0564 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0424 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0705 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4419 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.49 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,326 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 10,546 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 9,357 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 9,284 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 18,640 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Papua New Guinea?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Papua New Guinea was 4.6% 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.5% in 1999.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 2010.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 161st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.