Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Colombia
Colombia: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 14.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Colombia, 1986–2025
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 Colombia is 14.0%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 12.8% on the previous year and up 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Colombia peaked at 22.5% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 8.7%, in 1994.
Colombia ranks 68th of 157 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Colombia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 16.6% | — |
| 1987 | 13.6% | -18.4% |
| 1991 | 12.7% | -6.2% |
| 1992 | 11.6% | -8.5% |
| 1994 | 8.7% | -25.3% |
| 1996 | 15.4% | +77.1% |
| 2001 | 22.5% | +45.8% |
| 2002 | 22.2% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 20.2% | -9.1% |
| 2004 | 21.0% | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 17.8% | -15.0% |
| 2007 | 17.0% | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 17.4% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 17.8% | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 18.2% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 16.9% | -7.3% |
| 2012 | 15.7% | -6.9% |
| 2013 | 14.4% | -8.2% |
| 2014 | 14.5% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 13.2% | -9.0% |
| 2016 | 14.5% | +9.5% |
| 2017 | 14.5% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 15.5% | +7.6% |
| 2019 | 16.7% | +7.3% |
| 2020 | 22.0% | +31.8% |
| 2021 | 19.4% | -11.6% |
| 2022 | 17.1% | -12.1% |
| 2023 | 16.2% | -5.2% |
| 2024 | 16.1% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 14.0% | -12.8% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 14.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.6%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 14.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12.7%, 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 Colombia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +77.1% | 8.7% | 15.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 15.1% | 13.6% | 16.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 12.1% | 8.7% | 15.4% | 4 |
| 2000s | 19.5% | 17.0% | 22.5% | 8 |
| 2010s | 15.4% | 13.2% | 18.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.5% | 14.0% | 22.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More work & labour data for Colombia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7218 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6981 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7453 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.81 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1417 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 48,629 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 6,104 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 23,624 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 23,456 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 47,081 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Colombia?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Colombia was 14.0% 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 Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 22.5% in 2001.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.7% in 1994.
- How does Colombia rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Colombia ranks 68th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Colombia 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 — 30 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.