Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages) … national in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages) … national was 15.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in United Kingdom, 1983–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in United Kingdom stood at 15.2%.
The figure is up 6.4% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in United Kingdom peaked at 22.1% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 10.3%, in 1989.
United Kingdom ranks 67th 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) … national in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 20.2% | — |
| 1984 | 19.1% | -5.6% |
| 1985 | 18.2% | -4.5% |
| 1986 | 18.5% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 16.2% | -12.5% |
| 1988 | 13.2% | -18.3% |
| 1989 | 10.3% | -21.9% |
| 1990 | 10.4% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 13.9% | +33.2% |
| 1992 | 15.7% | +12.9% |
| 1993 | 16.8% | +7.4% |
| 1994 | 15.7% | -6.8% |
| 1995 | 14.3% | -8.8% |
| 1996 | 13.9% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 13.0% | -6.7% |
| 1998 | 13.6% | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 14.4% | +5.8% |
| 2000 | 13.5% | -6.5% |
| 2001 | 13.0% | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 13.1% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 13.3% | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 10.7% | -19.5% |
| 2005 | 13.1% | +22.2% |
| 2006 | 14.3% | +8.9% |
| 2007 | 14.6% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 15.4% | +5.1% |
| 2009 | 19.5% | +26.8% |
| 2010 | 20.3% | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 21.7% | +6.6% |
| 2012 | 22.1% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 21.0% | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 17.6% | -16.2% |
| 2015 | 15.2% | -13.4% |
| 2016 | 13.3% | -13.0% |
| 2017 | 12.6% | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 11.7% | -6.9% |
| 2019 | 10.8% | -8.1% |
| 2020 | 13.6% | +26.7% |
| 2021 | 13.0% | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 10.7% | -17.7% |
| 2023 | 12.0% | +12.1% |
| 2024 | 14.3% | +19.5% |
| 2025 | 15.2% | +6.4% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 15.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 13.9%, 1.1× the median. (70 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 15.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.2%, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16.6% | 10.3% | 20.2% | 7 |
| 1990s | 14.2% | 10.4% | 16.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.0% | 10.7% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.6% | 10.8% | 22.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.1% | 10.7% | 15.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More work & labour data for United Kingdom
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 22,956 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 60.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 35,770 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.93 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.07 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 111,361 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,223 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 57.91 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.47 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.4352 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in United Kingdom?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in United Kingdom was 15.2% 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 22.1% in 2012.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.3% in 1989.
- How does United Kingdom rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- United Kingdom ranks 67th out of 160 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 43 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.