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Countries Ranked by Youth unemployment rate in 2023

Youth unemployment rate for each country in 2023, ranked from highest to lowest. Source: The World Bank (CC BY 4.0).

Summary

In 2023, Djibouti ranks #1 with 76.4% of labour force aged 15-24. South Africa is second with 60.3% of labour force aged 15-24, 26.8% behind. The top five are Djibouti, South Africa, Eswatini, Libya and Botswana. The median across all 184 is 12.2% of labour force aged 15-24; Niger is last at 0.398% of labour force aged 15-24.

#1
Djibouti · 76.4% of labour force aged 15-24
Median
12.2% of labour force aged 15-24
Coverage
184 countries
Data year
2023
Last updated
2026-11-14
Top 10: Youth unemployment rateBar chart of the top 10: 1. Djibouti 76.4; 2. South Africa 60.3; 3. Eswatini 54.2; 4. Libya 49.9; 5. Botswana 44.4; 6. St. Vincent and the Grenadines 42.3; 7. Congo, Rep. 40.7; 8. Jordan 38.8; 9. Tunisia 38.5; 10. Namibia 37.1.Djibouti76.4South Africa60.3Eswatini54.2Libya49.9Botswana44.4St. Vincent and the Gre…42.3Congo, Rep.40.7Jordan38.8Tunisia38.5Namibia37.1
Top 10: Youth unemployment rate (% of labour force aged 15-24). Bar chart of the top 10: 1. Djibouti 76.4; 2. South Africa 60.3; 3. Eswatini 54.2; 4. Libya 49.9; 5. Botswana 44.4; 6. St. Vincent and the Grenadines 42.3; 7. Congo, Rep. 40.7; 8. Jordan 38.8; 9. Tunisia 38.5; 10. Namibia 37.1.
Youth unemployment rate over time, top 5Djibouti: 64.4 in 1999 to 76.4 in 2023; South Africa: 43.1 in 1999 to 60.3 in 2023; Eswatini: 47.3 in 1999 to 54.2 in 2023; Libya: 46.4 in 1999 to 49.9 in 2023; Botswana: 35.3 in 1999 to 44.4 in 2023.020.540.961.481.9199920112023DjiboutiSouth AfricaEswatiniLibyaBotswana
Youth unemployment rate over time, top 5 (% of labour force aged 15-24). Djibouti: 64.4 in 1999 to 76.4 in 2023; South Africa: 43.1 in 1999 to 60.3 in 2023; Eswatini: 47.3 in 1999 to 54.2 in 2023; Libya: 46.4 in 1999 to 49.9 in 2023; Botswana: 35.3 in 1999 to 44.4 in 2023.

Full ranking

Countries Ranked by Youth unemployment rate in 2023, 2023
RankCountryYouth unemployment rate (% of labour force aged 15-24)
1Djibouti76.4
2South Africa60.3
3Eswatini54.2
4Libya49.9
5Botswana44.4
6St. Vincent and the Grenadines42.3
7Congo, Rep.40.7
8Jordan38.8
9Tunisia38.5
10Namibia37.1
11Gabon36.4
12French Polynesia36.4
13Haiti36.3
14Somalia, Fed. Rep.34.1
15Syrian Arab Republic32.3
16Yemen, Rep.32.1
17New Caledonia31.8
18Iraq31.5
19St. Lucia30.3
20Algeria30
21Georgia29.9
22North Macedonia29.7
23Spain28.7
24Cabo Verde28
25Bosnia and Herzegovina27.3
26Angola26.8
27Armenia26.7
28Greece26.5
29Uruguay26.2
30Albania25.4
31Suriname25
32Lesotho24.7
33Guyana24.7
34Costa Rica24.3
35Serbia24.1
36Virgin Islands (US)23.6
37Montenegro23.3
38Mauritania23.2
39Lebanon22.7
40Italy22.7
41Morocco22
42Chile22
43Sweden21.9
44Romania21.7
45Iran, Islamic Rep.21.3
46Portugal20.5
47Nepal20.4
48Sri Lanka20.3
49Slovak Republic19.9
50Colombia19.4
51Croatia18.9
52Luxembourg18.8
53South Sudan18.5
54Barbados18.3
55Rwanda18.2
56Brunei Darussalam18
57Argentina17.9
58Brazil17.9
59Belize17.8
60Bahamas, The17.7
61Afghanistan17.5
62France17.4
63Türkiye17.3
64Estonia17.2
65Egypt, Arab Rep.17.2
66Panama16.8
67Mauritius16.4
68Cyprus16.2
69Belgium16.1
70Finland16.1
71India15.6
72China15.6
73Equatorial Guinea15.5
74Zimbabwe15.3
75Fiji15.3
76Kenya15.2
77Kuwait15.1
78Bhutan14.9
79Tajikistan14.5
80Maldives14.1
81Lithuania13.7
82Oman13.6
83Azerbaijan13.6
84Saudi Arabia13.5
85Channel Islands13.4
86Paraguay13.2
87Puerto Rico (US)13.2
88Indonesia13
89Samoa12.9
90Guam12.9
91Hungary12.8
92Latvia12.3
93Malaysia12.1
94Bulgaria12
95United Kingdom11.9
96Mongolia11.6
97Dominican Republic11.6
98Denmark11.5
99Vanuatu11.5
100Mozambique11.5

Showing the top 100 of 184. Premium downloads the full list as CSV or JSON.

About the top 10

#2 South Africa

South Africa ranks #2 on this list with 60.3% of labour force aged 15-24.

Capital
Pretoria, Cape Town
Continent
Africa
Income group
Upper middle income
Population
64.75 million people (2025)
GDP
US$427.18 billion (2025)
GDP per person
US$6,598 (2025)
Life expectancy
66.3 years (2024)
Urban population
63.8% of population (2025)

Largest cities: City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, Johannesburg, Cape Town.

Also ranks #2 in unemployment rate · #2 in youth unemployment rate · #2 in income share of richest 10%.

Full country profile

#6 St. Vincent and the Grenadines

St. Vincent and the Grenadines ranks #6 on this list with 42.3% of labour force aged 15-24.

Capital
Kingstown
Continent
North America
Income group
Upper middle income
Population
99,924 people (2025)
GDP
US$1.26 billion (2025)
GDP per person
US$12,562 (2025)
Life expectancy
71.4 years (2024)
Urban population
48% of population (2025)

Also ranks #3 in homicide rate · #5 in cereal yield · #6 in youth unemployment rate.

Full country profile

Profile facts: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0); weather links go to Purr Weather, another ChowChow Labs site.

Related rankings

Source and method

Youth unemployment rate for each country in 2023, ranked from highest to lowest.

Source: The World Bank, indicator SL.UEM.1524.ZS. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Retrieved: 2026-11-14.

The World Bank: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate): ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO) (via World Development Indicators)

Original data provider, as recorded by the World Bank: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).

Values are shown as published. Provider terms: The World Bank. All licences: Sources & licences.