Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) was 13.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Low & middle income, 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 Low & middle income is 13.7%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Low & middle income peaked at 17.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 1991.
Low & middle income ranks 20th of 47 groups on this measure, 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 Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 11.0% | — |
| 1992 | 11.2% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 11.6% | +4.2% |
| 1994 | 12.2% | +5.1% |
| 1995 | 12.8% | +4.5% |
| 1996 | 12.9% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 13.1% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 13.5% | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 13.9% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 14.1% | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 14.4% | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 14.8% | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 14.8% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 14.7% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 14.8% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 14.5% | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 14.3% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 14.4% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 14.8% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 14.7% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 14.9% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 15.3% | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 15.3% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 15.4% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 15.9% | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 16.2% | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 16.4% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 16.3% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 15.7% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 17.3% | +10.1% |
| 2021 | 16.0% | -7.5% |
| 2022 | 14.5% | -9.2% |
| 2023 | 13.7% | -5.6% |
| 2024 | 13.6% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 13.7% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.5% | 11.0% | 13.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.5% | 14.1% | 14.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.6% | 14.7% | 16.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.8% | 13.6% | 17.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
- 17 Syrian Arab Republic 33.1% compare
- 18 Yemen 32.6% compare
- 19 Iraq 32.0% compare
- 20 Georgia 30.3% compare
- 21 Algeria 29.4% compare
- 22 North Macedonia 28.8% compare
- 23 Cape Verde 28.4% compare
More work & labour data for Low & middle income
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 61.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 74.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 33.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 42.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.0% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 67.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 47.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 52.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 65.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Low & middle income?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Low & middle income was 13.7% 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 Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 17.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 1991.
- How does Low & middle income rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- Low & middle income ranks 20th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Low & middle income 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.