Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Democratic Republic of the: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) was 7.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Congo, Democratic Republic of the recorded 7.8% for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the peaked at 9.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 2005.
That places Congo, Democratic Republic of the 140th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.4% | — |
| 1992 | 5.5% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 5.5% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 5.5% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 5.4% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 5.2% | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 5.2% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 5.3% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 5.3% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 5.3% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 5.3% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5.2% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 5.1% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 5.0% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 4.9% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 5.4% | +10.2% |
| 2007 | 5.9% | +9.3% |
| 2008 | 6.4% | +8.5% |
| 2009 | 7.0% | +8.5% |
| 2010 | 7.5% | +7.2% |
| 2011 | 8.0% | +6.8% |
| 2012 | 8.5% | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 8.4% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 8.3% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 8.2% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 8.3% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 8.3% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 8.3% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 8.2% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 9.6% | +16.9% |
| 2021 | 9.2% | -4.3% |
| 2022 | 8.1% | -11.8% |
| 2023 | 8.0% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 8.0% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 7.8% | -1.3% |
Congo, Democratic Republic of the compared with similar countries
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the's 7.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 7.8%, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the's 7.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.8%, 89% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.4% | 5.2% | 5.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.6% | 4.9% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.2% | 7.5% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.4% | 7.8% | 9.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- 137 Trinidad and Tobago 8.2% compare
- 138 Ecuador 8.2% compare
- 139 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 7.9% compare
- 141 El Salvador 7.8% compare
- 142 Russian Federation 7.6% compare
- 143 Philippines 7.0% compare
More work & labour data for Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 23,407 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 64.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 41,856 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.48 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 4,595 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 1,696 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 61.26 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.69 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 3.33 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the was 7.8% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- The highest recorded value was 9.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 2005.
- How does Congo, Democratic Republic of the rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the ranks 140th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Congo, Democratic Republic of the data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.