Top 100 Countries by Youth Unemployment (15–24, %), 2025

Method note

Countries and territories are ordered by youth unemployment rate, from highest to lowest. Aggregates such as World, regional groups and income groups are excluded. The indicator follows World Bank WDI series SL.UEM.1524.ZS, based on ILO modelled estimates. Data retrieved April 27, 2026.

Reading the top ranks

• Djibouti has the highest rate in the table, followed by South Africa, Eswatini, Libya and Botswana.
• The upper ranks include several economies from Southern and North Africa, where the first step into paid work remains difficult for many young jobseekers.
• Older reference years are listed separately, so readers can distinguish 2025 observations from earlier values.

Methodology

The ranking uses World Bank World Development Indicators series SL.UEM.1524.ZS, which reports unemployment among people aged 15–24 as a percentage of the youth labour force. The series is based on ILO modelled estimates, making cross-country comparison easier where labour force surveys differ in timing, coverage and definitions.

• Ranking rule: countries and economies are sorted from highest to lowest youth unemployment rate.
• Scope: country-level economies and territories are included; regional, income-group and world aggregates are excluded.
• Reference year: 2025 is used where available. If the newest value is older, the table keeps the economy and shows that year in the reference column.
• Rounding: values are rounded to one decimal place. Very small rank differences should not be overinterpreted.
• Interpretation: the indicator counts only young people in the labour force. Full-time students, discouraged young people outside the labour force and some informal workers may not be reflected in the unemployment rate.

Why youth unemployment is not the same as youth joblessness

A country can have a high youth unemployment rate because many young people are actively looking for work and cannot find it. Another country can show a lower rate while many young people remain outside both work and active job search. NEET, labour force participation and employment-to-population ratios therefore add important context. This table is best read as a measure of pressure at the point of entry into the labour market, not as a complete measure of youth wellbeing.

FAQ

What does youth unemployment mean?
It is the percentage of people aged 15–24 who are in the labour force, do not have a job, are available for work and are actively looking for work.

Why are some reference years older than 2025?
Some economies do not have a newer value in the source series. The table keeps the latest available value and shows its reference year.

Why are regional or income-group rows not included?
The World Bank dataset also contains aggregates such as World, Sub-Saharan Africa and High income. Those rows are useful for context, but they are not individual economies, so they are excluded from this ranking.

Can a low youth unemployment rate still be a warning sign?
Yes. If many young people stop looking for work, stay outside the labour force or work informally, the unemployment rate alone may understate labour-market stress.

Why can this ranking differ from national statistics pages?
National sources may use different survey releases, seasonal adjustments or publication calendars. This ranking uses one internationally comparable WDI / ILO modelled series so that economies are ordered on the same basis.

How should readers use this table?
Use it as a starting point for comparing pressure in the school-to-work transition. For a fuller labour-market view, pair it with NEET, education completion, informal employment and youth participation data.

Limits and cautions

• Youth unemployment is sensitive to how many young people are studying, working informally or actively looking for work.
• Modelled estimates improve comparability but may differ from the newest national releases.
• Small differences between neighbouring ranks can reflect rounding rather than a meaningful labour-market gap.
• Countries affected by conflict, migration shocks or data disruptions should be compared with care.