Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Canada
Canada: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) was 13.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Canada, 1976–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Canada stood at 13.8%.
The figure is up 5.9% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Canada peaked at 20.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.0%, in 2022.
That places Canada 79th out of 160 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 12.4% | — |
| 1977 | 13.8% | +11.5% |
| 1978 | 14.0% | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 12.7% | -9.6% |
| 1980 | 12.8% | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 12.8% | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 18.2% | +42.8% |
| 1983 | 19.2% | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 17.4% | -9.8% |
| 1985 | 15.8% | -9.2% |
| 1986 | 14.7% | -7.1% |
| 1987 | 13.2% | -9.8% |
| 1988 | 11.5% | -13.0% |
| 1989 | 10.9% | -4.8% |
| 1990 | 12.3% | +12.8% |
| 1991 | 15.8% | +28.3% |
| 1992 | 17.2% | +8.7% |
| 1993 | 17.2% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 15.9% | -7.5% |
| 1995 | 14.8% | -6.7% |
| 1996 | 15.4% | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 16.3% | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 15.1% | -6.9% |
| 1999 | 14.1% | -7.2% |
| 2000 | 12.7% | -9.8% |
| 2001 | 12.9% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 13.6% | +5.8% |
| 2003 | 13.6% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 13.5% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 12.4% | -7.8% |
| 2006 | 11.6% | -6.3% |
| 2007 | 11.0% | -5.1% |
| 2008 | 11.4% | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 15.1% | +32.4% |
| 2010 | 14.6% | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 14.0% | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 14.0% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 13.3% | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 13.3% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 12.8% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 12.6% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 11.2% | -11.3% |
| 2018 | 10.6% | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 10.7% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 20.1% | +87.7% |
| 2021 | 13.5% | -32.8% |
| 2022 | 10.0% | -25.8% |
| 2023 | 10.7% | +6.8% |
| 2024 | 13.1% | +22.1% |
| 2025 | 13.8% | +5.9% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 13.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 13.9%, 99% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Canada 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +87.7% | 10.7% | 20.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 13.2% | 12.4% | 14.0% | 4 |
| 1980s | 14.7% | 10.9% | 19.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.4% | 12.3% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.8% | 11.0% | 15.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.7% | 10.6% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.5% | 10.0% | 20.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 76 Burkina Faso 13.9% compare
- 77 Hungary 13.9% compare
- 78 Maldives 13.9% compare
- 80 Denmark 13.8% compare
- 81 Cayman Islands 13.8% compare
- 82 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 13.6% compare
More work & labour data for Canada
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.3334 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.3231 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6552 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,234 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,715 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 26,798 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 26,814 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 53,612 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Canada?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Canada was 13.8% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 20.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.0% in 2022.
- How does Canada rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- Canada ranks 79th out of 160 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 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. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.