Youth unemployment across four North African economies

What the denominator leaves out

The labour force includes employed young people and young people who are available for work and seeking it. A student outside the labour force falls outside the denominator. The rates therefore answer a narrower question than how many people aged 15 to 24 are out of work. Source 1

Egypt’s rate fell, then moved up

The Egypt estimate fell from 34.16% in 2015 to 16.34% in 2022. It then rose to 18.29% in 2025. Read the 2025 country ranking alongside that change over time. Source 1

How the 2020 and 2025 estimates compare

From 2020 to 2025, the rate fell by about 6.3 percentage points in Algeria, 4.9 in Morocco and 3.2 in Tunisia. Tunisia still had the highest estimate of the four in 2025. Source 1

What the model can tell readers

Use one edition of the ILO estimates when comparing countries or years. National labour surveys can have different scope and methods. Pair the unemployment measure with a participation rate if the question is how many young people enter the labour market in the first place. Source 1

Sources

• International Labour Organization modelled youth unemployment estimates via World Bank WDI
• World Bank data API, selected countries and years