Barbados: Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Barbados' unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) fell 4.5 percentage points on 2023 (from 19.87% to 15.37%).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1987 to 2023), the average change was −0.25 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.41 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 7.87 percentage points in 1991 and the biggest yearly fall was 8.69 percentage points in 1996. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.23 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 61% of the movement over 9 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Barbados had the 10th highest value of the 20 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Barbados in the 2024 ranking

• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 7th of 20: 17.72%
• Sri Lanka — 8th of 20: 17.23%
• Kosovo — 9th of 20: 16.48%
• Mauritius — 11th of 20: 14.85%
• Bangladesh — 12th of 20: 14.13%
• Bahamas, The — 13th of 20: 11.62%

What this measures

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.

Limitations: The criteria for people considered to be seeking work, and the treatment of people temporarily laid off or seeking work for the first time, vary across countries. In many cases it is especially difficult to measure employment and unemployment in agriculture. The timing of a survey can maximize the effects of seasonal unemployment in agriculture. And informal sector employment is difficult to quantify where informal activities are not tracked.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 31 values

Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 17.75% (2025)
• Bahamas, The — 11.62% (2024)
• Bolivia — 3.63% (2025)
• Brazil — 11.89% (2025)
• Chile — 19.38% (2025)
• Colombia — 14.03% (2025)
• Costa Rica — 17.39% (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 9.06% (2025)

More social protection & labor data for Barbados

• Net migration — -87 (2025)
• Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 5.38% (2024)
• Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) — 6.66% (2024)
• Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 6.03% (2024)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 48.09% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 48.6% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 48.35% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Barbados's unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate)?

15.37% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1983?

It is down 8.39 percentage points from 23.76% in 1983. The highest value was 38.06% in 1993 and the lowest 15.37% in 2024.

How does Barbados rank?

10th highest of 20 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) unusual for Barbados?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.1524.MA.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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