Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Netherlands
Netherlands: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) was 8.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Netherlands, 1977–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Netherlands stood at 8.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 21.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Netherlands peaked at 21.1% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 4.4%, in 2001.
Netherlands ranks 115th of 160 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Netherlands, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 9.7% | — |
| 1979 | 10.4% | +7.4% |
| 1983 | 21.1% | +102.7% |
| 1985 | 17.6% | -16.2% |
| 1987 | 16.8% | -4.9% |
| 1988 | 14.2% | -15.1% |
| 1989 | 13.1% | -7.8% |
| 1990 | 11.1% | -15.6% |
| 1991 | 11.1% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 8.1% | -26.8% |
| 1993 | 10.4% | +28.4% |
| 1994 | 11.3% | +8.4% |
| 1995 | 12.1% | +7.0% |
| 1996 | 11.4% | -5.6% |
| 1997 | 9.8% | -14.8% |
| 1998 | 8.8% | -10.2% |
| 1999 | 7.4% | -15.7% |
| 2000 | 5.3% | -28.7% |
| 2001 | 4.4% | -16.9% |
| 2002 | 4.6% | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 6.6% | +43.7% |
| 2004 | 8.0% | +21.5% |
| 2005 | 11.8% | +48.1% |
| 2006 | 10.0% | -15.5% |
| 2007 | 9.4% | -6.5% |
| 2008 | 8.6% | -8.4% |
| 2009 | 10.2% | +18.8% |
| 2010 | 11.1% | +8.6% |
| 2011 | 10.0% | -9.7% |
| 2012 | 11.7% | +17.1% |
| 2013 | 13.2% | +12.5% |
| 2014 | 12.7% | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 11.3% | -11.6% |
| 2016 | 10.8% | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 8.9% | -18.1% |
| 2018 | 7.2% | -19.1% |
| 2019 | 6.7% | -6.0% |
| 2020 | 9.1% | +35.2% |
| 2021 | 9.3% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 7.6% | -18.1% |
| 2023 | 8.2% | +8.1% |
| 2024 | 8.7% | +5.3% |
| 2025 | 8.8% | +1.3% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 8.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 13.9%, 63% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 8.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.2%, 58% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Netherlands 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +102.7% | 10.4% | 21.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.0% | 9.7% | 10.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 16.6% | 13.1% | 21.1% | 5 |
| 1990s | 10.2% | 7.4% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.9% | 4.4% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.4% | 6.7% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.6% | 7.6% | 9.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
More work & labour data for Netherlands
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 5,256 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.71 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 10,535 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.03 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.834 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 130,584 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 94,797 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.03 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.4 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.1112 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Netherlands?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Netherlands was 8.8% 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 21.1% in 1983.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.4% in 2001.
- How does Netherlands rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- Netherlands ranks 115th out of 160 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands 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
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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. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.