Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) was 9.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Hong Kong, China, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Hong Kong, China is 9.0%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 5.8% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Hong Kong, China peaked at 15.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.2%, in 1991.
That places Hong Kong, China 129th 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 Hong Kong, China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.2% | — |
| 1992 | 4.3% | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 4.5% | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 4.3% | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 6.8% | +58.5% |
| 1996 | 6.6% | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 5.2% | -21.8% |
| 1998 | 10.4% | +101.5% |
| 1999 | 13.9% | +33.9% |
| 2000 | 11.1% | -20.7% |
| 2001 | 11.2% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 14.8% | +32.3% |
| 2003 | 14.8% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 12.1% | -18.6% |
| 2005 | 10.7% | -11.6% |
| 2006 | 10.4% | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 9.0% | -13.5% |
| 2008 | 8.5% | -5.1% |
| 2009 | 12.5% | +46.7% |
| 2010 | 12.1% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 9.3% | -23.4% |
| 2012 | 9.2% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 9.4% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 9.2% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 10.4% | +13.3% |
| 2016 | 9.7% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 8.5% | -12.3% |
| 2018 | 8.7% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 8.5% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 15.5% | +82.2% |
| 2021 | 12.8% | -17.7% |
| 2022 | 11.0% | -13.8% |
| 2023 | 9.0% | -18.6% |
| 2024 | 9.5% | +6.0% |
| 2025 | 9.0% | -5.8% |
Hong Kong, China compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong, China's 9.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 13.8%, 65% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong, China's 9.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9.0%, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Hong Kong, China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +101.5% | 5.2% | 10.4% |
| 2020 | +82.2% | 8.5% | 15.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.7% | 4.2% | 13.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.5% | 8.5% | 14.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.5% | 8.5% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.1% | 9.0% | 15.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong, China
- 126 Czechia 9.2% compare
- 127 Belarus 9.2% compare
- 128 Switzerland 9.0% compare
- 130 Netherlands 8.8% compare
- 131 Sao Tome and Principe 8.8% compare
- 132 Comoros 8.8% compare
More work & labour data for Hong Kong, China
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 2,981 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 55.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,663 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.78 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.06 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 149,185 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,833 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 53.6 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.56 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -1.12 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Hong Kong, China?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Hong Kong, China was 9.0% 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 Hong Kong, China?
- The highest recorded value was 15.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.2% in 1991.
- How does Hong Kong, China rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- Hong Kong, China ranks 129th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Hong Kong, China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hong Kong, China 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 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.