Youth unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15-29) by country
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have...
What the numbers show
Youth unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15-29) is currently reported for 57 countries. The highest value is 39.58 in Botswana; the lowest is 2.02 in Romania.
The median across all reporting countries is 9.98, and the mean is 11.82.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 20.
Over the past decade 21 countries rose and 36 fell. The largest increase was in Cambodia (up 629.5%), and the largest decrease in Romania (down 82.4%).
Youth unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Botswana | 39.58 | 2024 | up 47.3% | rising |
| 2 | Palestine | 34.99 | 2022 | down 7.9% | flat |
| 3 | Serbia | 29.74 | 2025 | down 42.2% | falling |
| 4 | Spain | 22.87 | 2025 | down 43.1% | rising |
| 5 | Zimbabwe | 20.57 | 2024 | up 187.0% | rising |
| 6 | Greece | 20.09 | 2025 | down 57.9% | rising |
| 7 | France | 19.22 | 2025 | down 6.9% | rising |
| 8 | Italy | 18.98 | 2025 | down 46.5% | flat |
| 9 | Finland | 17.57 | 2025 | up 4.3% | rising |
| 10 | Sri Lanka | 16.87 | 2024 | up 6.0% | flat |
| 11 | Sweden | 15.86 | 2025 | up 27.0% | falling |
| 12 | Estonia | 15.62 | 2025 | up 56.6% | falling |
| 13 | Armenia | 15.53 | 2023 | down 46.0% | falling |
| 14 | Portugal | 15.36 | 2025 | down 41.8% | rising |
| 15 | Chile | 15.36 | 2022 | up 8.3% | falling |
| 16 | Colombia | 14.22 | 2025 | up 14.2% | rising |
| 17 | Hungary | 13.55 | 2025 | down 23.8% | falling |
| 18 | Latvia | 13.54 | 2025 | down 6.6% | falling |
| 19 | Croatia | 12.76 | 2025 | down 63.1% | falling |
| 20 | Burkina Faso | 12.71 | 2025 | up 377.8% | volatile |
| 21 | Denmark | 12.64 | 2025 | down 17.2% | rising |
| 22 | Cyprus | 12.38 | 2025 | down 59.5% | volatile |
| 23 | Slovakia | 11.65 | 2025 | down 45.4% | falling |
| 24 | Bulgaria | 11.63 | 2025 | down 62.3% | falling |
| 25 | Costa Rica | 11.6 | 2025 | down 26.5% | rising |
| 26 | Austria | 10.86 | 2025 | down 3.1% | rising |
| 27 | United Kingdom | 10.49 | 2025 | down 6.2% | falling |
| 28 | Lithuania | 10.05 | 2025 | down 29.5% | falling |
| 29 | Zambia | 9.98 | 2024 | down 56.4% | falling |
| 30 | Belgium | 9.55 | 2025 | down 37.7% | falling |
| 31 | Ireland | 9.44 | 2025 | down 60.5% | falling |
| 32 | Indonesia | 9.37 | 2023 | up 43.8% | rising |
| 33 | Ghana | 9.05 | 2024 | up 111.6% | falling |
| 34 | Senegal | 8.94 | 2024 | down 8.8% | flat |
| 35 | Slovenia | 8.62 | 2025 | down 69.1% | falling |
| 36 | Bolivia | 8.59 | 2024 | up 105.3% | rising |
| 37 | Poland | 8.49 | 2025 | down 40.0% | falling |
| 38 | Rwanda | 8.1 | 2025 | up 281.1% | rising |
| 39 | Czechia | 7.9 | 2025 | down 45.9% | falling |
| 40 | Mongolia | 7.77 | 2025 | down 15.0% | rising |
| 41 | United States | 7.7 | 2025 | down 15.4% | falling |
| 42 | Peru | 7.48 | 2025 | up 28.3% | flat |
| 43 | Switzerland | 7.01 | 2024 | up 43.6% | rising |
| 44 | Germany | 6.94 | 2022 | down 15.1% | falling |
| 45 | Cambodia | 6.76 | 2025 | up 629.5% | volatile |
| 46 | Seychelles | 6.7 | 2025 | down 14.6% | falling |
| 47 | Norway | 6.4 | 2025 | down 24.5% | falling |
| 48 | Netherlands | 6.09 | 2025 | down 28.5% | rising |
| 49 | Uganda | 4.96 | 2021 | up 235.4% | rising |
| 50 | Cote d'Ivoire | 4.85 | 2022 | up 133.3% | flat |
| 51 | Iceland | 4.74 | 2016 | up 22.9% | volatile |
| 52 | Tanzania | 4.42 | 2024 | up 19.3% | volatile |
| 53 | Luxembourg | 4.41 | 2025 | down 59.7% | falling |
| 54 | Thailand | 3.94 | 2019 | up 43.1% | rising |
| 55 | Togo | 3.92 | 2022 | down 51.1% | volatile |
| 56 | Moldova | 3.18 | 2025 | down 77.4% | volatile |
| 57 | Romania | 2.02 | 2025 | down 82.4% | falling |
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The unemployment rate conveys the number of persons who are unemployed as a percent of the labour force (i.e., the employed plus the unemployed). The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. The term disability, as defined in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), is used as an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. For measurement purposes, a person with disability is defined as a person who is limited in the kind or amount of activities that he or she can do because of ongoing difficulties due to a long-term physical condition, mental condition or health problem. For more information, refer to the Youth Labour Market Indicators (YouthSTATS) database description.