UN
Youth unemployment in 2025
The ILO counted 67 million unemployed people aged 15–24 worldwide in 2025, a youth unemployment rate of 12.4%. Published on 11 August 2026, its report links mounting barriers to work with weak job creation and slow economic growth.
Unemployment and exclusion are different measures
In 2025, a broader group of more than 257 million young people were outside employment, education and training: the NEET share was 20%. This measure includes people outside the labour force and should not be confused with the unemployment count.
Where access to work is weakening
Between 2023 and 2025, unemployment rates for young people increased in eight of eleven subregions. Northern America rose from 8.3% to 9.8%; Northern, Southern and Western Europe recorded 15% in 2025. That European figure does not cover the entire continent.
The ILO describes shrinking entry routes through administrative, sales and manufacturing work. In developing economies, low unemployment can conceal insecure livelihoods when young people take informal jobs because they cannot afford to remain without work.
The decent-work challenge
The policy question is therefore about job quality as well as access. The ILO recommends apprenticeships, education, employment services and stronger social protection to help young people move into secure work.
Sources: ILO findings released in August 2026 and ILO youth-employment overview.
Photo by Hitesh Choudhary on Unsplash
