Montenegro's unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) was 26.03% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 9.8 percentage points from 35.83% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 26.03% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 25.18% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 35.83% | 2014 |
| Highest | 44.04% | 2012 |
| Lowest | 23.36% | 2023 |
| Average since 2015 | 31.16% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 38.11% | 2007 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Montenegro's unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) rose 2.67 percentage points on 2023 (from 23.36% to 26.03%).
Across the 12 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2023), the average change was −1.14 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.48 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 10.77 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.47 percentage points in 2022. 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 1.03 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 35% of the movement over 10 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, Montenegro had the 4th highest value of the 21 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Montenegro | 26.03% | 2024 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 14.65% | 2025 |
Closest to Montenegro in the 2024 ranking
- South Africa — 1st of 21: 60.11%
- Botswana — 2nd of 21: 45.16%
- Jordan — 3rd of 21: 39.26%
- Albania — 5th of 21: 22.38%
- Sri Lanka — 6th of 21: 21.77%
- Luxembourg — 7th of 21: 21.59%
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
| Year | Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 26.03 |
| 2023 | 23.36 |
| 2022 | 29.49 |
| 2021 | 36.96 |
| 2020 | 35.95 |
| 2019 | 25.18 |
| 2018 | 29.43 |
| 2017 | 31.7 |
| 2016 | 35.92 |
| 2015 | 37.58 |
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) in nearby economies
- Albania — 22.38% (2024)
- Armenia — 21.17% (2023)
- Austria — 12.16% (2025)
- Azerbaijan — 13.55% (2022)
- Belarus — 9.32% (2025)
- Belgium — 17.42% (2025)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 30.74% (2025)
- Bulgaria — 13.12% (2025)
More social protection & labor data for Montenegro
- Net migration — -9,279 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 39.12% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 48.06% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 43.69% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 65.55% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 76.35% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 70.87% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Montenegro's unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate)?
- 26.03% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2007?
- It is down 12.08 percentage points from 38.11% in 2007. The highest value was 44.04% in 2012 and the lowest 23.36% in 2023.
- How does Montenegro rank?
- 4th highest of 21 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) unusual for Montenegro?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.1524.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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