Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)'s unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) rose 1.06 percentage points on 2020 (from 17.73% to 18.79%).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2020), the average change was −0.22 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.9 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations above 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 2.83 percentage points in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.52 percentage points in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

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 15 values

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

• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 11.21% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 17.72% (2024)
• Israel — 4.75% (2025)
• Jordan — 41.26% (2024)
• Malta — 9.19% (2025)
• Morocco — 28.73% (2022)
• Pakistan — 12.29% (2025)
• Qatar — 0.26% (2024)

More social protection & labor data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)

• Net migration — 1.29 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 2.83 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 5.66 million (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 31.56% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 49.25% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 40.59% (2025)

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Questions people ask

What is Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)'s unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate)?

18.79% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2004?

It is up 0.88 percentage points from 17.91% in 2004. The highest value was 21.57% in 2009 and the lowest 17.67% in 2017.

Is the latest change in unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) unusual for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?

In 2021, Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)'s unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) rose 1.06 percentage points on 2020 (from 17.73% to 18.79%). Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2020), the average change was −0.22 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.9 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

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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