Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) was 15.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe stood at 15.5%.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 94.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Zimbabwe peaked at 17.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 6.9%, in 2014.
That places Zimbabwe 76th 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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.6% | — |
| 1992 | 10.9% | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 11.0% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 10.9% | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 12.2% | +12.5% |
| 1996 | 13.6% | +11.0% |
| 1997 | 15.3% | +12.9% |
| 1998 | 14.0% | -9.0% |
| 1999 | 12.9% | -7.7% |
| 2000 | 11.9% | -7.4% |
| 2001 | 10.9% | -9.0% |
| 2002 | 9.9% | -9.0% |
| 2003 | 9.0% | -9.5% |
| 2004 | 7.8% | -12.4% |
| 2005 | 8.1% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 8.2% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 8.5% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 9.0% | +5.8% |
| 2009 | 9.1% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 9.1% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 9.0% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 8.2% | -8.8% |
| 2013 | 7.6% | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 6.9% | -8.7% |
| 2015 | 8.0% | +15.4% |
| 2016 | 8.9% | +11.6% |
| 2017 | 9.8% | +9.9% |
| 2018 | 10.7% | +8.7% |
| 2019 | 11.7% | +9.6% |
| 2020 | 14.2% | +21.5% |
| 2021 | 15.2% | +6.8% |
| 2022 | 17.0% | +11.7% |
| 2023 | 15.3% | -9.7% |
| 2024 | 15.4% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 15.5% | +0.8% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 15.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.1%, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 15.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.8%, 1.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.4% | 10.6% | 15.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.2% | 7.8% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.0% | 6.9% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.5% | 14.2% | 17.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More work & labour data for Zimbabwe
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1887 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1727 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.2032 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0937 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.81 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 13,627 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 16,032 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 19,130 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 18,036 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 37,167 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Zimbabwe?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Zimbabwe was 15.5% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 17.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.9% in 2014.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- Zimbabwe ranks 76th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 94.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.