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In 2025, the global youth unemployment rate stood at an estimated 13.4 percent, up slightly from 2024. From 1991 until 2019, youth unemployment fluctuated between 11.55 and 16.08 percent, before it rose above 17 percent in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Youth unemployment

Just like the general unemployment rate, youth unemployment is recorded and monitored to gauge the job market situation in a country and worldwide. Youth unemployment includes unemployed individuals aged 15 to 24, typically referring to those who have either just finished school or graduated and are looking for jobs. In order to be registered as unemployed, a person must be able to work, unemployed, and looking for a job. Usually youth unemployment is higher than adult unemployment, as many graduates do not find employment right after they have graduated.

Regional breakdown

The world region with the highest youth unemployment rate has been the Arab World for the past two decades, while East Asia and the Pacific has generally had the lowest rate. Apart from the sharp rise in 2020, the most notable increase came in 2009 as a result of the Great Recession; while this increase can be observed on a global scale, its impact on youth unemployment was more severely felt in more advanced economies in Europe and North America.