Global youth unemployment has edged upward between 2023 and 2025, signaling a challenging labor market for young job seekers worldwide.
The overall global youth unemployment rate rose from 12.3% in 2023 to 12.4% in 2025. This shift brought the total number of unemployed young people to 67 million in 2025, reflecting an increase of 2 million individuals compared to two years earlier.
A breakdown of the 2025 figures shows a distinct demographic division. The youth unemployment rate stood at 12.1% for women, while the rate for young men was slightly higher at 12.6%.
The trend was widespread across geographical divisions, with conditions worsening or stagnating in eight out of eleven subregions since 2023.
Among these areas, Northern Africa and Northern America recorded the largest increases in youth unemployment over the two-year period.
National-level outcomes further highlight this upward trajectory. Youth unemployment went up in 105 countries, whereas only 58 countries managed to record a decrease between 2023 and 2025.
