Youth Unemployment in Numbers — A Generation Left Behind
📊
12.6%
Global youth unemployment rate
Remained elevated in 2025 despite slight improvement since 2023
👨
12.4%
Male youth unemployment
Rates similar between genders but with different challenges
👩
12.3%
Female youth unemployment
With wider gap (12.9%) in female workforce participation
🚫
20.4%
Youth not in work, education or training (NEET)
1 in 5 youth in 2023; one-third are women
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3.7%
Adult unemployment rate
Three times lower than youth unemployment globally
⚠️
62%
Highest unemployment globally (Sudan)
Global average 6.64%, but disparities are extreme
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8938
Migrant deaths on migration routes in 2024
Deadliest year ever; youth driven to dangerous migration seeking opportunities
🌍
712 مليون
Globally living in extreme poverty
Living on less than $2.15 daily, exacerbating unemployment crisis
🌏
304 مليون
International migrants globally
Doubled since 1990; many young people fleeing joblessness at home
📈
2.8 مليار
Population increase since 1990
Economies not keeping pace with new job market entrants
While global job markets improve, youth face unemployment rates three times higher than adults. Recent figures reveal sharp gender gaps and declining labor participation in low-income countries, threatening an entire generation of talent and ambition.