Youth Unemployment by Country (2025)
187 countries ranked · Ages 15-24 · Global avg: 15.7% · Source: World Bank / ILO · Updated October 2026
The Global Youth Employment Crisis
Youth unemployment — the rate for ages 15-24 — is typically two to three times higher than the overall rate. Countries with very high rates (above 25%) face long-term risks: a generation that enters adulthood without stable employment develops fewer skills, earns less over their lifetime, and may become politically disaffected. Southern Europe (Spain, Greece), North Africa, and parts of the Middle East have the highest rates globally.
The causes are structural: skills mismatches between education and employer needs, rigid labor markets protecting existing workers, and dual labor markets where temporary contracts offer lower pay. Countries that reduced youth unemployment successfully — Germany (apprenticeship system), Japan (employer-coordinated hiring) — built strong bridges between education and employment.
| # | Country | Youth Unemp. Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Djibouti | 76.8% |
| 2 | South Africa | 59.9% |
| 3 | Eswatini | 54.3% |
| 4 | Libya | 50.1% |
| 5 | Botswana | 46.0% |
| 6 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 41.9% |
| 7 | Republic of the Congo | 40.5% |
| 8 | Jordan | 38.9% |
| 9 | Tunisia | 38.1% |
| 10 | Namibia | 38.0% |
| 11 | Haiti | 37.5% |
| 12 | French Polynesia | 36.6% |
| 13 | Gabon | 36.3% |
| 14 | West Bank and Gaza | 36.1% |
| 15 | Somalia | 34.2% |
| 16 | New Caledonia | 33.1% |
| 17 | Syria | 33.1% |
| 18 | Yemen | 32.6% |
| 19 | Iraq | 32.0% |
| 20 | Georgia | 30.3% |
| 21 | Algeria | 29.4% |
| 22 | North Macedonia | 28.8% |
| 23 | Cabo Verde | 28.4% |
| 24 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 28.2% |
| 25 | Angola | 27.2% |
| 26 | Armenia | 26.2% |
| 27 | Albania | 25.6% |
| 28 | Suriname | 25.4% |
| 29 | Uruguay | 25.1% |
| 30 | Guyana | 24.9% |
| 31 | Spain | 24.7% |
| 32 | Lesotho | 24.7% |
| 33 | Romania | 24.5% |
| 34 | Montenegro | 24.4% |
| 35 | Sweden | 24.3% |
| 36 | U.S. Virgin Islands | 24.2% |
| 37 | Mauritania | 22.9% |
| 38 | Lebanon | 22.7% |
| 39 | Iran | 21.9% |
| 40 | Morocco | 21.9% |
| 41 | Chile | 21.6% |
| 42 | Finland | 21.5% |
| 43 | Luxembourg | 21.5% |
| 44 | Greece | 21.4% |
| 45 | Serbia | 20.9% |
| 46 | Nepal | 20.6% |
| 47 | Italy | 20.5% |
| 48 | St. Lucia | 20.3% |
| 49 | Portugal | 20.2% |
| 50 | Costa Rica | 19.9% |
Use this data in your own work
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