South Asia (IDA & IBRD): Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 6.89 percentage points from 24.56% in 2020. Since 1994 it is up 10.89 percentage points from 6.78% in 1994. The World Bank has no value for 19 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

From 2018 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.55 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 77% 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

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 13 values

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

• Algeria — 29.02% (2017)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 15.25% (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 20.16% (2024)
• Israel — 4.71% (2025)
• Jordan — 39.26% (2024)
• Malta — 9.62% (2025)
• Morocco — 32.65% (2022)
• Pakistan — 12.52% (2025)

More social protection & labor data for South Asia (IDA & IBRD)

• Net migration — -1.3 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 1.44 million (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 238,179 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 19.57% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 45.37% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 32.97% (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 South Asia (IDA & IBRD)'s unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate)?

17.67% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1994?

It is up 10.89 percentage points from 6.78% in 1994. The highest value was 26.1% in 2018 and the lowest 6.78% in 1994.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, 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.

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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.