Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Sweden
Sweden: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 24.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Sweden, 1975–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Sweden recorded 24.7% for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Sweden peaked at 26.3% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 1975.
Sweden ranks 19th of 157 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 2.8% | — |
| 1976 | 2.8% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 7.4% | +163.8% |
| 1983 | 7.7% | +4.7% |
| 1984 | 6.1% | -21.5% |
| 1985 | 5.9% | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 4.7% | -21.1% |
| 1987 | 4.4% | -5.4% |
| 1989 | 3.2% | -28.7% |
| 1990 | 4.8% | +51.2% |
| 1991 | 8.5% | +78.0% |
| 1992 | 16.2% | +90.5% |
| 1993 | 26.1% | +60.9% |
| 1994 | 25.2% | -3.4% |
| 1995 | 20.9% | -17.1% |
| 1996 | 22.4% | +7.5% |
| 1997 | 22.7% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 18.1% | -20.2% |
| 1999 | 17.1% | -5.6% |
| 2000 | 10.8% | -36.7% |
| 2001 | 12.7% | +17.6% |
| 2002 | 13.4% | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 15.5% | +15.4% |
| 2004 | 19.8% | +28.0% |
| 2005 | 23.3% | +17.4% |
| 2006 | 21.0% | -9.8% |
| 2007 | 18.8% | -10.5% |
| 2008 | 19.7% | +5.1% |
| 2009 | 26.3% | +33.2% |
| 2010 | 25.9% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 23.3% | -9.9% |
| 2012 | 25.0% | +7.4% |
| 2013 | 24.8% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 24.2% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 21.2% | -12.4% |
| 2016 | 20.5% | -3.4% |
| 2017 | 18.8% | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 18.6% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 20.5% | +10.7% |
| 2020 | 25.0% | +21.7% |
| 2021 | 25.2% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 20.2% | -20.1% |
| 2023 | 22.5% | +11.7% |
| 2024 | 24.9% | +10.5% |
| 2025 | 24.7% | -0.7% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 24.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 14.2%, 1.7× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 24.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.3%, 1.6× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Sweden 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | +163.8% | 2.8% | 7.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 5.6% | 3.2% | 7.7% | 7 |
| 1990s | 18.2% | 4.8% | 26.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.1% | 10.8% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.3% | 18.6% | 25.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.7% | 20.2% | 25.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More work & labour data for Sweden
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0422 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0602 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0243 % 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 0.5427 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 10,837 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 788.88 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5,587 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,780 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 11,367 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Sweden?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Sweden was 24.7% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 26.3% in 2009.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 1975.
- How does Sweden rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Sweden ranks 19th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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 — 45 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.