Youth unemployment - Country rankings

Definition: Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.

What explains the differences in youth unemployment across countries

Youth unemployment is typically high in countries with overall high unemployment where the economy is struggling to create jobs. These are the countries at the top the chart. Further below, at around 20-30 percent unemployment one sees several advanced European countries such as Greece, Italy, and Spain. These countries do not have very dynamic labor markets with a big churn of new positions. Also, older workers are more entrenched in their positions and the firing and hiring of labor is more complicated by regulations and customs.

Notice also that countries with significant demographic issues such as South Korea and Japan have very low youth unemployment. There just aren't many young people, relatively speaking. In some countries at the bottom of the chart such as Chad, Liberia, and Niger there are many young people but they may be out of the labor force. Recall that to be considered unemployed one has to be without a job but actively looking for one.