Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate) - Country Ranking

Definition: 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.

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in December 2019.

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

Find indicator:
Rank Country Value Year
1 Algeria 82.02 2017
2 Djibouti 74.60 2017
3 Libya 67.84 2012
4 Cabo Verde 65.28 2019
5 South Africa 64.06 2020
6 Iraq 63.27 2017
7 Jordan 54.54 2020
8 Saudi Arabia 51.50 2020
9 Costa Rica 50.93 2020
10 Eswatini 50.05 2016
11 Botswana 47.85 2020
12 Tuvalu 45.85 2016
13 Syrian Arab Republic 43.52 2010
13 Sudan 43.52 2011
15 Egypt 43.45 2020
16 Samoa 43.42 2017
17 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 42.98 1991
18 Bosnia and Herzegovina 42.75 2020
19 Gabon 41.90 2010
20 Lesotho 41.51 2019
21 Somalia 40.83 2019
22 New Caledonia 39.97 2014
23 Suriname 39.94 2016
24 Montenegro 39.72 2020
24 Spain 39.72 2020
26 Grenada 39.37 1998
27 Greece 39.32 2020
28 North Macedonia 38.82 2020
29 Uruguay 38.78 2020
30 Namibia 38.54 2018
31 Georgia 38.25 2020
32 Nauru 37.50 2013
33 Tunisia 37.18 2017
34 Iran 35.96 2020
34 San Marino 35.96 2016
36 Brazil 35.72 2020
37 Argentina 34.95 2020
38 Yemen 34.63 2014
39 St. Lucia 34.28 2019
40 Nigeria 33.52 2019
41 Guyana 33.36 2019
42 Armenia 33.29 2020
43 Colombia 33.00 2020
44 Brunei 32.44 2020
45 The Gambia 32.30 2018
46 Italy 31.78 2020
47 The Bahamas 31.64 2016
48 Oman 31.63 2020
49 Zimbabwe 31.41 2019
50 Kuwait 29.99 2016
51 Turkey 29.94 2020
52 Serbia 29.49 2020
53 Belize 28.53 2019
54 Sri Lanka 28.12 2019
55 Mauritius 28.01 2020
56 Monaco 27.93 2016
57 Honduras 27.73 2020
58 Zambia 27.59 2019
59 Panama 27.08 2021
60 Jamaica 26.75 2021
61 Chile 26.61 2020
62 Albania 25.85 2019
63 Dominica 25.58 2001
64 Croatia 25.02 2020
65 Mauritania 24.94 2017
66 Kiribati 24.62 2019
67 Portugal 24.43 2020
68 Rwanda 24.41 2020
69 Nepal 23.91 2017
70 Paraguay 23.34 2020
71 Sweden 22.78 2020
72 Morocco 22.75 2016
73 Fiji 22.35 2016
74 Antigua and Barbuda 21.55 2001
75 Lebanon 21.44 2019
76 Luxembourg 21.33 2020
77 Slovak Republic 21.21 2020
78 Barbados 21.17 2019
79 Afghanistan 21.11 2020
80 Haiti 21.10 1999
81 India 21.03 2020
82 Dominican Republic 20.74 2020
83 Puerto Rico 20.31 2008
84 Vanuatu 20.13 2019
85 France 19.94 2020
86 Liberia 19.59 2017
87 Mongolia 19.51 2020
88 Finland 19.41 2020
89 Comoros 18.78 2014
90 United Arab Emirates 18.71 2020
91 Ukraine 18.47 2020
92 Estonia 18.39 2020
93 Russia 18.20 2020
94 Uganda 17.62 2017
95 Niger 17.53 2017
96 Lithuania 17.30 2020
97 Bangladesh 16.80 2017
98 Venezuela 16.78 2020
99 Angola 16.72 2014
100 Bolivia 16.55 2020
101 Romania 16.51 2020
102 Slovenia 16.15 2020
103 Timor-Leste 15.88 2016
104 Kyrgyz Republic 15.66 2020
105 Seychelles 15.56 2020
106 Lao PDR 15.49 2017
107 Latvia 15.48 2020
108 Ecuador 15.36 2020
109 Ireland 15.27 2020
110 Belgium 15.12 2020
111 El Salvador 15.08 2020
112 Congo 15.07 2009
113 Indonesia 14.28 2020
114 Azerbaijan 14.18 2019
115 Hungary 14.00 2020
116 Kenya 13.84 2019
117 Bulgaria 13.67 2020
118 Hong Kong SAR, China 13.63 2020
119 Singapore 13.50 2020
120 Tonga 13.05 2018
121 Malaysia 12.96 2020
122 Nicaragua 12.95 2014
123 Bhutan 12.71 2015
124 New Zealand 12.66 2020
125 Canada 12.42 2021
126 Cyprus 12.28 2020
126 Moldova 12.28 2020
128 Bahrain 12.23 2012
129 Peru 12.08 2020
130 Poland 11.55 2020
131 Cayman Islands 11.41 2015
132 Denmark 10.63 2020
132 Palau 10.63 2000
134 Norway 10.50 2020
135 Belarus 10.09 2020
136 Australia 9.84 2021
137 St. Kitts and Nevis 9.81 2001
138 Korea 9.74 2020
139 Austria 9.51 2020
140 United Kingdom 9.19 2019
141 Czech Republic 9.16 2020
142 Netherlands 9.01 2020
143 Iceland 9.00 2020
144 United States 8.90 2021
145 Vietnam 8.89 2020
146 Pakistan 8.82 2019
147 Ghana 8.74 2017
147 Mexico 8.74 2020
149 Philippines 8.51 2020
150 Trinidad and Tobago 8.40 2016
151 Burkina Faso 8.39 2018
152 Uzbekistan 8.27 2020
153 Israel 8.21 2020
154 Switzerland 8.01 2020
155 Malta 7.98 2020
156 Guinea 7.93 2019
157 Togo 7.40 2017
158 Mozambique 7.13 2015
159 Cameroon 6.81 2014
160 Dem. Rep. Congo 6.76 2012
161 Senegal 6.66 2019
162 Côte d'Ivoire 6.49 2017
163 Germany 6.39 2020
164 Macao SAR, China 6.36 2020
165 Thailand 5.93 2020
166 Guatemala 5.68 2019
167 Cuba 5.59 2010
168 Tanzania 4.63 2014
169 Benin 4.54 2018
170 Ethiopia 4.48 2013
171 Japan 4.20 2021
172 Kazakhstan 4.15 2020
172 Guinea-Bissau 4.15 2018
174 Madagascar 3.00 2015
175 Papua New Guinea 2.95 2010
176 Tajikistan 2.86 2007
177 Sierra Leone 2.59 2018
178 Malawi 2.34 2020
179 Cambodia 2.33 2019
180 Mali 2.26 2018
181 Burundi 1.97 2014
182 Qatar 1.70 2020
183 Myanmar 1.61 2019
184 Solomon Islands 1.59 2013
185 Chad 0.74 2018

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Development Relevance: Paradoxically, low unemployment rates can disguise substantial poverty in a country, while high unemployment rates can occur in countries with a high level of economic development and low rates of poverty. In countries without unemployment or welfare benefits people eke out a living in vulnerable employment. In countries with well-developed safety nets workers can afford to wait for suitable or desirable jobs. But high and sustained unemployment indicates serious inefficiencies in resource allocation. Youth unemployment is an important policy issue for many economies. Young men and women today face increasing uncertainty in their hopes of undergoing a satisfactory transition in the labour market, and this uncertainty and disillusionment can, in turn, have damaging effects on individuals, communities, economies and society at large. Unemployed or underemployed youth are less able to contribute effectively to national development and have fewer opportunities to exercise their rights as citizens. They have less to spend as consumers, less to invest as savers and often have no "voice" to bring about change in their lives and communities. Widespread youth unemployment and underemployment also prevents companies and countries from innovating and developing competitive advantages based on human capital investment, thus undermining future prospects. Unemployment is a key measure to monitor whether a country is on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. [SDG Indicator 8.5.2]

Limitations and Exceptions: 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. There may be also persons not currently in the labour market who want to work but do not actively "seek" work because they view job opportunities as limited, or because they have restricted labour mobility, or face discrimination, or structural, social or cultural barriers. The exclusion of people who want to work but are not seeking work (often called the "hidden unemployed" or "discouraged workers") is a criterion that will affect the unemployment count of both women and men. However, women tend to be excluded from the count for various reasons. Women suffer more from discrimination and from structural, social, and cultural barriers that impede them from seeking work. Also, women are often responsible for the care of children and the elderly and for household affairs. They may not be available for work during the short reference period, as they need to make arrangements before starting work. Further, women are considered to be employed when they are working part-time or in temporary jobs, despite the instability of these jobs or their active search for more secure employment.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: The standard definition of unemployed persons is those individuals without work, seeking work in a recent past period, and currently available for work, including people who have lost their jobs or who have voluntarily left work. Persons who did not look for work but have an arrangements for a future job are also counted as unemployed. Some unemployment is unavoidable. At any time some workers are temporarily unemployed between jobs as employers look for the right workers and workers search for better jobs. It is the labour force or the economically active portion of the population that serves as the base for this indicator, not the total population.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: The series for ILO estimates is also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.