Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 17.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in United Kingdom, 1983–2025
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 United Kingdom is 17.3%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in United Kingdom peaked at 25.0% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 11.2%, in 1989.
That places United Kingdom 45th out of 157 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 22.4% | — |
| 1984 | 20.8% | -7.1% |
| 1985 | 19.6% | -5.9% |
| 1986 | 19.8% | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 17.2% | -12.9% |
| 1988 | 14.3% | -16.6% |
| 1989 | 11.2% | -21.7% |
| 1990 | 11.4% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 15.9% | +39.8% |
| 1992 | 19.0% | +19.4% |
| 1993 | 20.9% | +9.6% |
| 1994 | 19.3% | -7.5% |
| 1995 | 18.0% | -6.7% |
| 1996 | 17.9% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 15.6% | -12.7% |
| 1998 | 14.0% | -10.5% |
| 1999 | 14.2% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 13.5% | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 11.8% | -12.5% |
| 2002 | 12.8% | +8.8% |
| 2003 | 13.1% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 11.6% | -10.9% |
| 2005 | 14.8% | +26.9% |
| 2006 | 16.1% | +9.1% |
| 2007 | 16.2% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 17.5% | +7.8% |
| 2009 | 22.4% | +28.1% |
| 2010 | 22.6% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 24.3% | +7.7% |
| 2012 | 25.0% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 23.6% | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 19.7% | -16.4% |
| 2015 | 16.8% | -14.9% |
| 2016 | 15.0% | -10.5% |
| 2017 | 14.0% | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 12.7% | -9.6% |
| 2019 | 12.4% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 15.3% | +23.4% |
| 2021 | 14.5% | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 13.1% | -9.8% |
| 2023 | 14.3% | +9.2% |
| 2024 | 16.6% | +15.8% |
| 2025 | 17.3% | +4.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 17.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 14.2%, 1.2× the median. (68 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 17.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.3%, 1.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 17.9% | 11.2% | 22.4% | 7 |
| 1990s | 16.6% | 11.4% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.0% | 11.6% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.6% | 12.4% | 25.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.2% | 13.1% | 17.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More work & labour data for United Kingdom
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 22,956 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 60.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 35,770 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.93 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.07 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 111,361 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,223 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 57.91 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.47 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.4352 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in United Kingdom?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in United Kingdom was 17.3% 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 25.0% in 2012.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.2% in 1989.
- How does United Kingdom rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- United Kingdom ranks 45th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 43 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.