Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) was 19.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) stood at 19.4%.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) peaked at 21.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 15.0%, in 2009.
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 4th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 16.6% | — |
| 1992 | 16.6% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 17.7% | +6.7% |
| 1994 | 17.8% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 18.1% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 16.5% | -8.7% |
| 1997 | 16.2% | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 16.4% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 16.5% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 17.6% | +7.1% |
| 2001 | 18.1% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 17.9% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 17.6% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 16.2% | -8.3% |
| 2005 | 16.7% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 16.1% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 15.2% | -5.6% |
| 2008 | 15.3% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 15.0% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 15.6% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 16.3% | +4.7% |
| 2012 | 19.7% | +21.2% |
| 2013 | 18.7% | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 17.9% | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 20.2% | +12.6% |
| 2016 | 20.0% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 20.8% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 20.3% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 20.0% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 21.2% | +5.7% |
| 2021 | 21.0% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 19.3% | -7.9% |
| 2023 | 19.1% | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 19.2% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 19.4% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.9% | 16.2% | 18.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 16.6% | 15.0% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 15.6% | 20.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.9% | 19.1% | 21.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
More work & labour data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 17.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 71.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 44.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 13.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 32.2% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 25.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 47.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 19.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 75.4% (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) was 19.4% 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 21.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.0% in 2009.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high 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.