Zimbabwe's unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) was 14.85% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 14.85% | 2025 |
| Highest | 20.7% | 1997 |
| Lowest | 5.93% | 2014 |
| Average since 2019 | 15.43% | 2019–2025 |
| First recorded | 20.7% | 1997 |
Since 1997 it is down 5.85 percentage points from 20.7% in 1997. The World Bank has no value for 18 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.
How it compares
In 2025, Zimbabwe had the 32nd highest value of the 81 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe | 14.85% | 2025 |
| Lower middle income | 13.1% | 2024 |
Closest to Zimbabwe in the 2025 ranking
- Slovak Republic — 29th of 81: 15.91%
- New Zealand — 30th of 81: 15.81%
- Norway — 31st of 81: 15.29%
- Canada — 33rd of 81: 14.74%
- Cyprus — 34th of 81: 14.45%
- Denmark — 35th of 81: 14.32%
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 11 values
| Year | Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 14.85 |
| 2024 | 20.43 |
| 2023 | 14.92 |
| 2022 | 16.81 |
| 2021 | 14.39 |
| 2020 | no data |
| 2019 | 11.19 |
| 2018 | no data |
| 2017 | no data |
| 2016 | no data |
Unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) in nearby economies
More social protection & labor data for Zimbabwe
- Net migration — -54,555 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 6,632 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 8,570 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 43.06% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 53.32% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 48.17% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 62.93% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Zimbabwe's unemployment, youth male (% of male labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate)?
- 14.85% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1997?
- It is down 5.85 percentage points from 20.7% in 1997. The highest value was 20.7% in 1997 and the lowest 5.93% in 2014.
- How does Zimbabwe rank?
- 32nd highest of 81 economies with data for 2025.
- 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.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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