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ILO Reports Global Youth Unemployment Rose to 12.4% in 2025

Geneva, Switzerland

Nacho Doce/Reuters

Nacho Doce/Reuters

What Happened

The ILO reported global youth unemployment (ages 15–24) rose to 12.4% in 2025 from 12.3% in 2024, equal to 67 million unemployed, while NEETs rose to 20%, totalling 257 million. The report blamed weaker growth, scant job creation and geopolitical and technological pressures and warned pressures may persist.

What Happened

The ILO reported global youth unemployment (ages 15–24) rose to 12.4% in 2025 from 12.3% in 2024, equal to 67 million unemployed, while NEETs rose to 20%, totalling 257 million. The report blamed weaker growth, scant job creation and geopolitical and technological pressures and warned pressures may persist.

Where Sources Agree

  • arrows_inputGlobal Youth Unemployment Rise: Reports consistently note that the global youth unemployment rate rose to 12.4% in 2025 from 12.3% the previous year, with 67 million young people now unemployed, according to the International Labour Organization.
  • arrows_inputRising NEET Population: Coverage confirms that the share of young people not in employment, education, or training increased to 20 percent in 2025, affecting more than 257 million individuals, according to the International Labour Organization's Global Employment Trends for Youth 2026 report.
  • arrows_inputAI Labor Market Impact: Sources verify that artificial intelligence is increasingly impacting the global job market, with 6.1% of jobs now exposed to AI-related changes that contribute to mounting labor market pressures, according to ILO analysis.

Where Sources Disagree

  • arrows_outputUnemployment Baseline Year Discrepancy: Some sources report the global youth unemployment rate rose from 12.3% in 2024, while others identify 2023 as the baseline year for that same 12.3% figure.
  • arrows_outputNEET Statistic Baseline: Some outlets contextualize the global NEET rate increase to 20 percent by citing the 2023 baseline of 19.7 percent. In contrast, other coverage reports the 20 percent figure without referencing the 2023 baseline.
  • arrows_outputRegional Labor Market Emphasis: While some outlets highlight specific labor challenges and AI exposure in South-Eastern Asia and the Pacific, others emphasize broader global trends, particularly high unemployment rates in the Arab States and North Africa alongside rising figures in North America.

Timeline

August 12, 2026

ILO warns on AI, job quality: The ILO said weaker growth, geopolitical tensions and sluggish job creation made it harder for young people to find work and warned that AI could add to labour market pressures; it also highlighted a reversal of post‑COVID‑19 improvements and a deterioration in both quantity and quality of youth jobs. The report noted around 6.1% (and in some subregions higher shares) of jobs held by 15‑to‑29‑year‑olds are in occupations most exposed to AI‑related changes.

2026

Projections and policy recommendations: The ILO projected the youth unemployment rate to roughly flatline in 2026–2027 while forecasting subregional shifts, and called for integrated policies — quality education, apprenticeships, lifelong learning, modernized employment services, stronger social protection and a human‑centered approach to AI governance — to improve youth employment prospects.

2025

Regional disparities deepen: Youth unemployment was highest in the Arab States (26.2%) and Northern Africa (22.6%) in 2025, while some wealthier economies saw sharp deterioration—North America's youth unemployment rose to 9.8% from 8.3% in 2023—and parts of Europe recorded rates around 15%. Country‑level data also showed mixed outcomes across South‑Eastern Asia and the Pacific, with several economies seeing higher youth joblessness in 2025 than in 2023.

Summaries by Ground AI

Sources

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