Of the economies in the World Bank's latest release, South Africa has the highest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) (60.11% in 2024) and Qatar the lowest (0.53% in 2024).
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.
Each country's latest available year is shown; countries report on different schedules, so compare years before comparing values.
Ranking
| # | Economy | Latest value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | 60.11% | 2024 |
| 2 | Botswana | 45.16% | 2024 |
| 3 | West Bank and Gaza | 40.84% | 2025 |
| 4 | Jordan | 39.26% | 2024 |
| 5 | Tunisia | 38.51% | 2023 |
| 6 | Puerto Rico (US) | 34.29% | 2020 |
| 7 | Morocco | 32.65% | 2022 |
| 8 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 30.74% | 2025 |
| 9 | North Macedonia | 29.15% | 2025 |
| 10 | Algeria | 29.02% | 2017 |
| 11 | Suriname | 26.49% | 2016 |
| 12 | Romania | 26.07% | 2025 |
| 13 | Montenegro | 26.03% | 2024 |
| 14 | Spain | 24.87% | 2025 |
| 15 | Uruguay | 24.44% | 2025 |
| 16 | Sweden | 24.3% | 2025 |
| 17 | Georgia | 23.67% | 2025 |
| 18 | Albania | 22.38% | 2024 |
| 19 | St. Lucia | 22.03% | 2025 |
| 20 | Chile | 21.99% | 2025 |
| 21 | Sri Lanka | 21.77% | 2024 |
| 22 | Finland | 21.76% | 2025 |
| 23 | Serbia | 21.67% | 2025 |
| 24 | Luxembourg | 21.59% | 2024 |
| 25 | Armenia | 21.17% | 2023 |
| 26 | Estonia | 20.69% | 2025 |
| 27 | Italy | 20.57% | 2025 |
| 28 | Brunei Darussalam | 20.24% | 2025 |
| 29 | Iran, Islamic Rep. | 20.16% | 2024 |
| 30 | Costa Rica | 20.09% | 2025 |
| 31 | France | 19.79% | 2025 |
| 32 | Panama | 19.5% | 2025 |
| 33 | Portugal | 19.45% | 2025 |
| 34 | Argentina | 19.24% | 2025 |
| 35 | Ukraine | 19.06% | 2021 |
| 36 | Kosovo | 19.04% | 2024 |
| 37 | Greece | 19.04% | 2025 |
| 38 | Angola | 18.56% | 2025 |
| 39 | Croatia | 18.26% | 2025 |
| 40 | Bhutan | 17.92% | 2025 |
| 41 | India | 17.67% | 2025 |
| 42 | Colombia | 17.5% | 2025 |
| 43 | Belgium | 17.42% | 2025 |
| 44 | Mauritius | 17.29% | 2024 |
| 45 | Barbados | 16.37% | 2024 |
| 46 | San Marino | 15.75% | 2022 |
| 47 | New Zealand | 15.67% | 2025 |
| 48 | Zimbabwe | 15.59% | 2025 |
| 49 | Slovak Republic | 15.35% | 2025 |
| 50 | Türkiye | 15.33% | 2025 |
| 51 | Egypt, Arab Rep. | 15.25% | 2024 |
| 52 | United Kingdom | 15.2% | 2025 |
| 53 | Latvia | 14.8% | 2025 |
| 54 | Bahamas, The | 14.3% | 2024 |
| 55 | Lithuania | 14.08% | 2025 |
| 56 | Norway | 14.05% | 2025 |
| 57 | Hungary | 13.94% | 2025 |
| 58 | Canada | 13.84% | 2025 |
| 59 | Denmark | 13.8% | 2025 |
| 60 | Venezuela, RB | 13.65% | 2020 |
| 61 | Brazil | 13.59% | 2025 |
| 62 | Azerbaijan | 13.55% | 2022 |
| 63 | Cyprus | 13.51% | 2025 |
| 64 | Indonesia | 13.27% | 2023 |
| 65 | Bulgaria | 13.12% | 2025 |
| 66 | Dominican Republic | 12.66% | 2025 |
| 67 | Pakistan | 12.52% | 2025 |
| 68 | Austria | 12.16% | 2025 |
| 69 | Slovenia | 12.08% | 2025 |
| 70 | Ireland | 11.75% | 2025 |
| 71 | Malaysia | 11.73% | 2022 |
| 72 | Poland | 11.73% | 2025 |
| 73 | Saudi Arabia | 11.28% | 2025 |
| 74 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 11.21% | 2025 |
| 75 | Trinidad and Tobago | 10.91% | 2024 |
| 76 | Zambia | 10.81% | 2024 |
| 77 | Paraguay | 10.75% | 2025 |
| 78 | Mali | 10.54% | 2024 |
| 79 | Mongolia | 10.49% | 2025 |
| 80 | Czechia | 10.43% | 2025 |
| 81 | United States | 9.98% | 2025 |
| 82 | Bangladesh | 9.63% | 2024 |
| 83 | Malta | 9.62% | 2025 |
| 84 | Seychelles | 9.6% | 2025 |
| 85 | Australia | 9.53% | 2025 |
| 86 | Iceland | 9.5% | 2025 |
| 87 | Belarus | 9.32% | 2025 |
| 88 | Jamaica | 9.08% | 2023 |
| 89 | Netherlands | 8.83% | 2025 |
| 90 | Switzerland | 8.76% | 2025 |
| 91 | Peru | 8.67% | 2025 |
| 92 | Rwanda | 8.58% | 2025 |
| 93 | Cambodia | 8.52% | 2025 |
| 94 | Kyrgyz Republic | 8.46% | 2023 |
| 95 | Honduras | 8.37% | 2025 |
| 96 | Philippines | 8.04% | 2024 |
| 97 | Macao SAR, China | 8.03% | 2020 |
| 98 | Ecuador | 7.76% | 2025 |
| 99 | Russian Federation | 7.52% | 2025 |
| 100 | El Salvador | 7.4% | 2025 |
| 101 | Singapore | 7.18% | 2025 |
| 102 | Germany | 7.13% | 2025 |
| 103 | Viet Nam | 6.41% | 2024 |
| 104 | Ghana | 5.87% | 2025 |
| 105 | Korea, Rep. | 5.71% | 2025 |
| 106 | Mexico | 5.64% | 2025 |
| 107 | Nigeria | 5.45% | 2024 |
| 108 | Tanzania | 5.11% | 2025 |
| 109 | Senegal | 5.05% | 2025 |
| 110 | United Arab Emirates | 4.94% | 2025 |
| 111 | Guatemala | 4.77% | 2025 |
| 112 | Israel | 4.71% | 2025 |
| 113 | Bolivia | 4.17% | 2025 |
| 114 | Thailand | 3.88% | 2025 |
| 115 | Kazakhstan | 3.81% | 2022 |
| 116 | Japan | 3.8% | 2025 |
| 117 | Moldova | 2.39% | 2025 |
| 118 | Qatar | 0.53% | 2024 |
Regions and income groups
| Region or group | Latest value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Central Europe and the Baltics | 15.53% | 2025 |
| Early-demographic dividend | 15.27% | 2024 |
| Euro area | 16.62% | 2025 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 14.65% | 2025 |
| Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) | 21.17% | 2021 |
| Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD) | 12.53% | 2025 |
| European Union | 16.62% | 2025 |
| High income | 11.84% | 2025 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 11.52% | 2025 |
| Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) | 11.02% | 2025 |
| Latin America & Caribbean (IDA & IBRD) | 11.52% | 2025 |
| Lower middle income | 13.51% | 2024 |
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 17.53% | 2021 |
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) | 17.72% | 2021 |
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) | 17.5% | 2021 |
| North America | 10.35% | 2025 |
| OECD members | 11.78% | 2025 |
| Post-demographic dividend | 11.98% | 2025 |
| South Asia | 17.67% | 2025 |
| South Asia (IDA & IBRD) | 17.67% | 2025 |
More social protection & labor indicators
- Employment in agriculture, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, female (%) (national estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (national estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate)
- Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employers, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employers, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
- Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
Reading data like this
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, SL.UEM.1524.NE.ZS, 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 View on data.worldbank.org; the full definition is in the World Bank's metadata glossary.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in