Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Canada
Canada: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 14.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Canada, 1976–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Canada is 14.7%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.2% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Canada peaked at 21.8% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 11.2%, in 2022.
Canada ranks 64th of 157 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 13.0% | — |
| 1977 | 14.5% | +11.4% |
| 1978 | 14.6% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 12.9% | -11.8% |
| 1980 | 13.4% | +3.6% |
| 1981 | 13.7% | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 20.7% | +50.7% |
| 1983 | 21.8% | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 19.1% | -12.3% |
| 1985 | 17.3% | -9.2% |
| 1986 | 16.0% | -7.7% |
| 1987 | 14.3% | -10.4% |
| 1988 | 12.4% | -13.5% |
| 1989 | 12.2% | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 13.5% | +11.1% |
| 1991 | 18.5% | +36.9% |
| 1992 | 19.7% | +6.5% |
| 1993 | 19.7% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 17.9% | -9.1% |
| 1995 | 16.3% | -8.7% |
| 1996 | 16.9% | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 17.1% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 16.5% | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 15.3% | -7.5% |
| 2000 | 13.8% | -9.5% |
| 2001 | 14.5% | +4.8% |
| 2002 | 15.4% | +6.1% |
| 2003 | 15.3% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 15.0% | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 14.1% | -5.7% |
| 2006 | 12.9% | -8.8% |
| 2007 | 12.2% | -5.5% |
| 2008 | 12.9% | +5.9% |
| 2009 | 18.0% | +39.5% |
| 2010 | 17.0% | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 15.8% | -7.1% |
| 2012 | 15.7% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 14.8% | -5.5% |
| 2014 | 14.9% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 14.7% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 14.4% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 12.7% | -11.5% |
| 2018 | 11.9% | -6.8% |
| 2019 | 12.1% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 20.7% | +72.0% |
| 2021 | 14.5% | -30.1% |
| 2022 | 11.2% | -22.8% |
| 2023 | 11.5% | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 14.3% | +24.6% |
| 2025 | 14.7% | +3.2% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 14.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 14.2%, 1.0× the median. (68 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Canada 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 | +72.0% | 12.1% | 20.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13.8% | 12.9% | 14.6% | 4 |
| 1980s | 16.1% | 12.2% | 21.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.2% | 13.5% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.4% | 12.2% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.4% | 11.9% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.5% | 11.2% | 20.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More work & labour data for Canada
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.3334 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.3231 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6552 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,234 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,715 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 26,798 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 26,814 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 53,612 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Canada?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Canada was 14.7% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 21.8% in 1983.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 2022.
- How does Canada rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Canada ranks 64th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 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. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.