North Macedonia's unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate) was 28.91% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 20.83 percentage points from 49.74% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 28.91% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 33.88% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 49.74% | 2015 |
| Highest | 65.2% | 2003 |
| Lowest | 28.85% | 2023 |
| Average since 2016 | 35.72% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 34.93% | 1991 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, North Macedonia's unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate) fell 0.55 percentage points on 2024 (from 29.47% to 28.91%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.54 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.05 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 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 10.74 percentage points in 1995 and the biggest yearly fall was 13.17 percentage points in 2019. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 2.34 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 81% 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 2025, North Macedonia had the 19th highest value of the 182 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| North Macedonia | 28.91% | 2025 |
| World | 13.1% | 2025 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 13.64% | 2025 |
| Upper middle income | 15.33% | 2025 |
Closest to North Macedonia in the 2025 ranking
- Haiti — 16th of 182: 29.97%
- Syrian Arab Republic — 17th of 182: 29.49%
- Georgia — 18th of 182: 29.2%
- Iraq — 20th of 182: 28.11%
- Angola — 21st of 182: 27.77%
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 22nd of 182: 26.54%
What this measures
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.
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 35 values
| Year | Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 28.91 |
| 2024 | 29.47 |
| 2023 | 28.85 |
| 2022 | 29.55 |
| 2021 | 33.2 |
| 2020 | 33.88 |
| 2019 | 33.2 |
| 2018 | 46.37 |
| 2017 | 45.7 |
| 2016 | 48.13 |
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate) in nearby economies
- Albania — 25.36% (2025)
- Armenia — 23.44% (2025)
- Austria — 11.22% (2025)
- Azerbaijan — 11.65% (2025)
- Belarus — 10.4% (2025)
- Belgium — 19.6% (2025)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 26.54% (2025)
- Bulgaria — 10.59% (2025)
More social protection & labor data for North Macedonia
- Net migration — -5,645 (2025)
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) — 10.57% (2025)
- Unemployment, male (% of male labor force) (national estimate) — 12.23% (2025)
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) — 11.53% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 23.57% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 36.44% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 30.08% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is North Macedonia's unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate)?
- 28.91% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1991?
- It is down 6.02 percentage points from 34.93% in 1991. The highest value was 65.2% in 2003 and the lowest 28.85% in 2023.
- How does North Macedonia rank?
- 19th highest of 182 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate) unusual for North Macedonia?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.1524.MA.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: January 17, 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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