Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Zambia
Zambia: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) was 10.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Zambia, 2000–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Zambia recorded 10.5% for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in 2024.
The figure is up 2.2% on the previous year and down 61.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Zambia peaked at 27.2% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 8.7%, in 2021.
That places Zambia 98th out of 157 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 23.1% | — |
| 2012 | 14.6% | -36.9% |
| 2015 | 27.2% | +86.4% |
| 2017 | 8.8% | -67.6% |
| 2018 | 9.5% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | 12.3% | +30.2% |
| 2020 | 11.4% | -7.3% |
| 2021 | 8.7% | -23.4% |
| 2022 | 9.8% | +11.7% |
| 2023 | 10.2% | +4.9% |
| 2024 | 10.5% | +2.2% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 10.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8.6%, 1.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 10.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.6%, 1.2× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.1% | 23.1% | 23.1% | 1 |
| 2010s | 14.5% | 8.8% | 27.2% | 5 |
| 2020s | 10.1% | 8.7% | 11.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More work & labour data for Zambia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5254 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.5224 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.7611 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.24 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 25,577 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 15,424 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 32,895 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 31,579 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 64,474 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Zambia?
- Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) in Zambia was 10.5% in 2024, 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 27.2% in 2015.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.7% in 2021.
- How does Zambia rank for unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24)?
- Zambia ranks 98th out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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 — 11 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.