Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)'s employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate) rose 3.02 percentage points on 2020 (from 41.77% to 44.79%).

Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2020), the average change was −0.68 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.3 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.02 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.96 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.28 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 36% of the movement over 8 observed years.

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

What this measures

Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.

Limitations: Data on employment by status are drawn from labor force surveys and household surveys, supplemented by official estimates and censuses for a small group of countries. The labor force survey is the most comprehensive source for internationally comparable employment, but there are still some limitations for comparing data across countries and over time even within a country. Comparability of employment ratios across countries is affected by variations in definitions of employment and population. The biggest difference results from the age range used to define labor force activity. The population base for employment ratios can also vary.

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

All 15 values

Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate) in nearby economies

• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 35.86% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 29.47% (2024)
• Israel — 41.47% (2025)
• Jordan — 20.82% (2024)
• Malta — 50.26% (2025)
• Morocco — 23.9% (2022)
• Pakistan — 57.61% (2025)
• Qatar — 69.22% (2024)
• Saudi Arabia

More social protection & labor data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)

• Net migration — -1.28 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 4.29 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 8.24 million (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 13.43% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 50.06% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)'s employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate)?

44.79% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2005?

It is down 4.44 percentage points from 49.24% in 2005. The highest value was 51.56% in 2006 and the lowest 41.77% in 2020.

Is the latest change in employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate) unusual for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.EMP.1524.SP.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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