Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Singapore
Singapore: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) was 7.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Singapore, 1978–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Singapore is 7.2%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 4.3% on the previous year and down 23.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Singapore peaked at 14.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 1990.
That places Singapore 128th out of 160 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Singapore, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 6.0% | — |
| 1979 | 5.8% | -3.0% |
| 1980 | 4.8% | -17.1% |
| 1982 | 4.5% | -6.6% |
| 1983 | 5.3% | +17.2% |
| 1984 | 4.6% | -12.5% |
| 1985 | 7.4% | +61.6% |
| 1986 | 9.9% | +33.8% |
| 1987 | 7.9% | -20.9% |
| 1988 | 6.0% | -23.5% |
| 1989 | 4.3% | -28.6% |
| 1990 | 3.3% | -22.1% |
| 1991 | 3.8% | +14.2% |
| 1992 | 6.6% | +73.3% |
| 1993 | 7.0% | +5.7% |
| 1994 | 7.3% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 7.0% | -4.0% |
| 1996 | 8.7% | +23.9% |
| 1997 | 5.4% | -37.1% |
| 1998 | 8.2% | +51.7% |
| 1999 | 9.6% | +16.2% |
| 2001 | 7.7% | -19.4% |
| 2002 | 11.2% | +45.5% |
| 2003 | 10.2% | -9.4% |
| 2004 | 10.8% | +6.5% |
| 2005 | 9.9% | -8.9% |
| 2006 | 8.9% | -10.2% |
| 2007 | 8.8% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 9.2% | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 12.9% | +40.9% |
| 2010 | 9.9% | -23.6% |
| 2011 | 9.2% | -6.5% |
| 2012 | 8.9% | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 9.3% | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 8.8% | -5.9% |
| 2015 | 9.4% | +6.3% |
| 2016 | 9.1% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 10.8% | +18.7% |
| 2018 | 9.4% | -13.1% |
| 2019 | 11.5% | +22.1% |
| 2020 | 14.2% | +23.8% |
| 2021 | 10.0% | -29.4% |
| 2022 | 8.4% | -16.1% |
| 2023 | 9.1% | +7.4% |
| 2024 | 7.5% | -17.2% |
| 2025 | 7.2% | -4.3% |
Singapore compared with similar countries
- Singapore's 7.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 13.9%, 51% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Singapore's 7.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.0%, 89% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.9% | 5.8% | 6.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 6.1% | 4.3% | 9.9% | 9 |
| 1990s | 6.7% | 3.3% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.0% | 7.7% | 12.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 9.6% | 8.8% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.4% | 7.2% | 14.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
- 125 Kiribati 7.7% compare
- 126 Senegal 7.6% compare
- 127 Russian Federation 7.5% compare
- 129 Isle of Man 7.2% compare
- 130 Germany 7.1% compare
- 131 Philippines 6.9% compare
More work & labour data for Singapore
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.967 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.9557 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.9779 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1059 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6,575 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 0 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,077 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,086 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 4,163 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, per unit 0 1000 No per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Singapore?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Singapore was 7.2% 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 Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 14.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 1990.
- How does Singapore rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- Singapore ranks 128th out of 160 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Singapore 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 — 46 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.