Youth Labor Force Participation Rate 2008

Youth labor force participation measures the percentage of young people actively engaged in the labor market, employed or seeking work.

186 data pointsโ€ขโ€ขGlobal Coverageโ€ขTerrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) | Dataโ€ข

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Complete Data Rankings

Rank
Actions
1
Tanzania flag
Tanzania
87.362 %
2
Madagascar flag
Madagascar
86.547 %
3
Qatar flag
Qatar
86.094 %
4
Solomon Islands flag
Solomon Islands
84.456 %
5
Mozambique flag
Mozambique
83.393 %
6
North Korea flag
North Korea
82.053 %
7
Ethiopia flag
Ethiopia
81.729 %
8
Nigeria flag
Nigeria
81.609 %
9
Burkina Faso flag
Burkina Faso
80.288 %
10
Cameroon flag
Cameroon
80.012 %
11
Eritrea flag
Eritrea
79.972 %
12
Niger flag
Niger
79.434 %
13
Cambodia flag
Cambodia
78.939 %
14
Peru flag
Peru
78.223 %
15
Burundi flag
Burundi
77.879 %
16
Malawi flag
Malawi
77.309 %
17
Angola flag
Angola
77.253 %
18
Liberia flag
Liberia
77.12 %
19
United Arab Emirates flag
United Arab Emirates
77.059 %
20
Iceland flag
Iceland
76.416 %
21
Vietnam flag
Vietnam
75.587 %
22
Bahamas flag
Bahamas
73.994 %
23
South Sudan flag
South Sudan
73.992 %
24
Uganda flag
Uganda
73.661 %
25
Kenya flag
Kenya
73.469 %
26
Thailand flag
Thailand
72.877 %
27
Central African Republic flag
Central African Republic
72.603 %
28
Ghana flag
Ghana
71.974 %
29
Benin flag
Benin
71.837 %
30
China flag
China
71.625 %
31
Kazakhstan flag
Kazakhstan
71.12 %
32
Vanuatu flag
Vanuatu
71.024 %
33
Mali flag
Mali
70.327 %
34
Congo, Democratic Republic of the flag
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
69.868 %
35
China, Macao SAR flag
China, Macao SAR
69.757 %
36
Bhutan flag
Bhutan
69.666 %
37
Barbados flag
Barbados
69.42 %
38
Bahrain flag
Bahrain
69.309 %
39
Paraguay flag
Paraguay
69.302 %
40
Bolivia flag
Bolivia
68.773 %
41
Timor-Leste flag
Timor-Leste
68.669 %
42
Norway flag
Norway
68.425 %
43
Switzerland flag
Switzerland
68.192 %
44
Lesotho flag
Lesotho
68.103 %
45
Georgia flag
Georgia
67.97 %
46
New Zealand flag
New Zealand
67.968 %
47
Kuwait flag
Kuwait
67.937 %
48
Congo flag
Congo
67.795 %
49
Canada flag
Canada
67.268 %
50
Brazil flag
Brazil
67.173 %
51
Netherlands flag
Netherlands
67.152 %
52
Brunei Darussalam flag
Brunei Darussalam
66.9 %
53
Cรดte d'Ivoire flag
Cรดte d'Ivoire
66.676 %
54
Singapore flag
Singapore
66.615 %
55
Ecuador flag
Ecuador
66.549 %
56
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines flag
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
66.497 %
57
Indonesia flag
Indonesia
66.373 %
58
Saint Lucia flag
Saint Lucia
66.207 %
59
Ireland flag
Ireland
65.939 %
60
Trinidad and Tobago flag
Trinidad and Tobago
65.834 %
61
Zimbabwe flag
Zimbabwe
65.746 %
62
Myanmar flag
Myanmar
65.734 %
63
Panama flag
Panama
65.656 %
64
Australia flag
Australia
65.564 %
65
Denmark flag
Denmark
65.208 %
66
Chad flag
Chad
65.167 %
67
United States flag
United States
64.985 %
68
Haiti flag
Haiti
64.909 %
69
New Caledonia flag
New Caledonia
64.467 %
70
Jamaica flag
Jamaica
64.385 %
71
Venezuela flag
Venezuela
64.294 %
72
Colombia flag
Colombia
64.158 %
73
Uruguay flag
Uruguay
64.006 %
74
Sweden flag
Sweden
63.865 %
75
Cyprus flag
Cyprus
63.678 %
76
Guinea-Bissau flag
Guinea-Bissau
63.5 %
77
United States Virgin Islands flag
United States Virgin Islands
63.012 %
78
Nicaragua flag
Nicaragua
62.949 %
79
Israel flag
Israel
62.811 %
80
Russia flag
Russia
62.549 %
81
Sierra Leone flag
Sierra Leone
62.547 %
82
Kyrgyzstan flag
Kyrgyzstan
62.286 %
83
United Kingdom flag
United Kingdom
62.185 %
84
Portugal flag
Portugal
62.002 %
85
Belarus flag
Belarus
61.814 %
86
Botswana flag
Botswana
61.783 %
87
Latvia flag
Latvia
61.513 %
88
Belize flag
Belize
61.453 %
89
Finland flag
Finland
61.426 %
90
Guatemala flag
Guatemala
61.351 %
91
Estonia flag
Estonia
61.157 %
92
Rwanda flag
Rwanda
61.096 %
93
Philippines flag
Philippines
61.065 %
94
Malaysia flag
Malaysia
60.958 %
95
Laos flag
Laos
60.945 %
96
El Salvador flag
El Salvador
60.924 %
97
Costa Rica flag
Costa Rica
60.909 %
98
Azerbaijan flag
Azerbaijan
60.823 %
99
South Korea flag
South Korea
60.813 %
100
Mexico flag
Mexico
60.638 %
101
Guinea flag
Guinea
60.461 %
102
Armenia flag
Armenia
60.444 %
103
Argentina flag
Argentina
60.428 %
104
Japan flag
Japan
60.155 %
105
China, Hong Kong SAR flag
China, Hong Kong SAR
60.077 %
106
Fiji flag
Fiji
59.933 %
107
Slovenia flag
Slovenia
59.783 %
108
Guam flag
Guam
59.765 %
109
Austria flag
Austria
59.658 %
110
Republic of Moldova flag
Republic of Moldova
59.587 %
111
Honduras flag
Honduras
59.576 %
112
Slovakia flag
Slovakia
59.175 %
113
Zambia flag
Zambia
59.161 %
114
Germany flag
Germany
59.087 %
115
Spain flag
Spain
59.084 %
116
Equatorial Guinea flag
Equatorial Guinea
58.899 %
117
Chile flag
Chile
58.546 %
118
Mongolia flag
Mongolia
58.454 %
119
Czech Republic flag
Czech Republic
58.409 %
120
Bangladesh flag
Bangladesh
58.324 %
121
Mauritius flag
Mauritius
58.305 %
122
Togo flag
Togo
58.17 %
123
Oman flag
Oman
57.768 %
124
Dominican Republic flag
Dominican Republic
57.585 %
125
Tonga flag
Tonga
56.965 %
126
Guyana flag
Guyana
56.518 %
127
India flag
India
56.511 %
128
Namibia flag
Namibia
56.405 %
129
Ukraine flag
Ukraine
56.247 %
130
France flag
France
56.132 %
131
Cabo Verde flag
Cabo Verde
56.111 %
132
French Polynesia flag
French Polynesia
56.075 %
133
Lithuania flag
Lithuania
55.787 %
134
South Africa flag
South Africa
55.786 %
135
Luxembourg flag
Luxembourg
55.223 %
136
Samoa flag
Samoa
55.142 %
137
Uzbekistan flag
Uzbekistan
54.898 %
138
Bulgaria flag
Bulgaria
54.862 %
139
North Macedonia flag
North Macedonia
54.701 %
140
Poland flag
Poland
54.583 %
141
Cuba flag
Cuba
54.238 %
142
Sri Lanka flag
Sri Lanka
53.751 %
143
Belgium flag
Belgium
53.695 %
144
Albania flag
Albania
53.192 %
145
Croatia flag
Croatia
53.08 %
146
Serbia flag
Serbia
52.792 %
147
Maldives flag
Maldives
52.4 %
148
Greece flag
Greece
52.328 %
149
Hungary flag
Hungary
52.176 %
150
Eswatini flag
Eswatini
52.15 %
151
Suriname flag
Suriname
51.655 %
152
Bosnia and Herzegovina flag
Bosnia and Herzegovina
51.374 %
153
Romania flag
Romania
50.967 %
154
Morocco flag
Morocco
50.59 %
155
Pakistan flag
Pakistan
50.084 %
156
Malta flag
Malta
49.718 %
157
Saudi Arabia flag
Saudi Arabia
49.135 %
158
Senegal flag
Senegal
48.994 %
159
Italy flag
Italy
48.921 %
160
Gabon flag
Gabon
48.624 %
161
Papua New Guinea flag
Papua New Guinea
48.557 %
162
Sudan flag
Sudan
48.463 %
163
Montenegro flag
Montenegro
48.277 %
164
Gambia flag
Gambia
48.131 %
165
Libya flag
Libya
47.917 %
166
Turkmenistan flag
Turkmenistan
47.643 %
167
Egypt flag
Egypt
47.551 %
168
Turkey flag
Turkey
46.886 %
169
Tunisia flag
Tunisia
46.83 %
170
Afghanistan flag
Afghanistan
46.682 %
171
Puerto Rico flag
Puerto Rico
44.8 %
172
Tajikistan flag
Tajikistan
44.57 %
173
Mauritania flag
Mauritania
44.365 %
174
Lebanon flag
Lebanon
43.854 %
175
Syrian Arab Republic flag
Syrian Arab Republic
43.594 %
176
Algeria flag
Algeria
43.149 %
177
Comoros flag
Comoros
42.606 %
178
Iran flag
Iran
42.271 %
179
Iraq flag
Iraq
41.568 %
180
Nepal flag
Nepal
41.014 %
181
Yemen flag
Yemen
40.467 %
182
Jordan flag
Jordan
39.5 %
183
State of Palestine flag
State of Palestine
39.376 %
184
Somalia flag
Somalia
34.497 %
185
Djibouti flag
Djibouti
33.407 %
186
Sao Tome and Principe flag
Sao Tome and Principe
24.028 %

โ†‘Top 10 Countries

  1. #1Tanzania flagTanzania
  2. #2Madagascar flagMadagascar
  3. #3Qatar flagQatar
  4. #4Solomon Islands flagSolomon Islands
  5. #5Mozambique flagMozambique
  6. #6North Korea flagNorth Korea
  7. #7Ethiopia flagEthiopia
  8. #8Nigeria flagNigeria
  9. #9Burkina Faso flagBurkina Faso
  10. #10Cameroon flagCameroon

Analysis: These countries represent the highest values in this dataset, showcasing significant scale and impact on global statistics.

โ†“Bottom 10 Countries

  1. #186Sao Tome and Principe flagSao Tome and Principe
  2. #185Djibouti flagDjibouti
  3. #184Somalia flagSomalia
  4. #183State of Palestine flagState of Palestine
  5. #182Jordan flagJordan
  6. #181Yemen flagYemen
  7. #180Nepal flagNepal
  8. #179Iraq flagIraq
  9. #178Iran flagIran
  10. #177Comoros flagComoros

Context: These countries or territories have the lowest values, often due to geographic size, administrative status, or specific characteristics.

Analysis & Context

The Youth Labor Force Participation Rate in 2008 was highest in Tanzania at 87.36%, while the global range spanned from a minimum of 24.03% to a maximum of 87.36%. The worldwide average participation rate was 61.10%, providing a benchmark for evaluating individual country performances.

Economic Factors Influencing High Participation Rates

Countries such as Tanzania (87.36%), Madagascar (86.55%), and Qatar (86.09%) exhibited the highest youth labor force participation rates in 2008. These high rates can often be attributed to a combination of economic necessity and limited access to higher education. In many developing nations, economic conditions compel young people to enter the workforce early to support their families, especially in regions where informal sectors dominate the economy. For instance, in Tanzania and Madagascar, agriculture plays a significant role in the economy, prompting youth involvement from a young age.

Additionally, in countries like Qatar, the labor market is influenced by high demand for labor due to rapid economic growth, particularly in sectors like construction and services, where young workers are often employed.

Low Participation Rates and Their Drivers

At the opposite end of the spectrum, countries such as Sao Tome and Principe (24.03%), Djibouti (33.41%), and Somalia (34.50%) recorded the lowest youth labor force participation rates. These low rates are often linked to high unemployment, political instability, and cultural factors that prioritize education over early entry into the workforce. For example, Djibouti and Somalia have faced considerable political and economic challenges, which can limit job opportunities for youth.

In some cases, government policies aimed at increasing educational attainment contribute to lower participation rates, as seen in Jordan (39.50%) and State of Palestine (39.38%), where education is prioritized to improve future economic prospects.

Year-over-Year Trends and Notable Changes

From 2007 to 2008, the average youth labor force participation rate saw a slight decrease of 0.05% (-0.1%). The most significant increases were observed in Guam (+1.97%), Panama (+1.57%), and Bahrain (+1.36%). These increases can be linked to economic growth and improved job opportunities for young people. For instance, Guam experienced growth in tourism-related jobs, while Panama benefited from the expansion of the Panama Canal, creating numerous employment opportunities.

Conversely, some countries witnessed notable decreases in participation rates, such as Vanuatu (-3.03%), Cambodia (-2.29%), and Iran (-2.16%). These declines may be attributed to economic downturns or policy shifts that reduced labor market entry for youth. In Iran, for example, economic sanctions and internal economic challenges likely impacted employment opportunities for young people.

Implications of Youth Labor Force Participation

The Youth Labor Force Participation Rate is a critical indicator of a country's economic and social health. High participation rates often reflect economic necessity and limited educational opportunities, which can hinder long-term economic development. Conversely, low participation rates may indicate high youth unemployment or successful educational policies, though they can also signal economic stagnation or lack of job creation.

For countries with high participation rates like Tanzania and Madagascar, there is a need to balance immediate economic needs with investments in education to ensure sustainable growth. Meanwhile, countries with low rates, such as Sao Tome and Principe and Djibouti, must address structural issues to create more opportunities for youth.

Ultimately, understanding the factors driving youth labor force participation can help policymakers design targeted interventions that support both economic growth and the development of a well-educated, skilled workforce.

Frequently Asked Questions About Youth Labor Force Participation Rate in 2008

Which country had the highest youth labor force participation rate in 2008?

Tanzania had the highest youth labor force participation rate in 2008, with 87.36%.

Which country had the lowest youth labor force participation rate in 2008?

Sao Tome and Principe had the lowest youth labor force participation rate in 2008, with 24.03%.

What was the average youth labor force participation rate across all countries in 2008?

The average youth labor force participation rate across all countries in 2008 was 61.1%.

What was the median youth labor force participation rate in 2008?

The median youth labor force participation rate in 2008 was 61.01%.

Which countries were in the top 3 for youth labor force participation rate in 2008?

The top 3 countries for youth labor force participation rate in 2008 were Tanzania (87.36%), Madagascar (86.55%), and Qatar (86.09%).

How many countries were included in the dataset for youth labor force participation rate in 2008?

The dataset for youth labor force participation rate in 2008 included 186 countries.

Insights by country

1

Zambia

Zambia's Youth Labor Force Participation Rate in 2008 was 59.161 %, ranking it #113 out of 186 countries. This rate is notably higher than many neighboring countries, reflecting a significant portion of the youth engaged in economic activities. Key drivers include a young population and the necessity for income generation in a country facing economic challenges and limited job opportunities. Additionally, agricultural work remains a primary source of employment for many young Zambians.

2

Burkina Faso

In 2008, Burkina Faso achieved a global rank of #9 with a Youth Labor Force Participation Rate of 80.288 %. This high rate is significantly above the global average, reflecting the country's youthful demographic and economic reliance on agriculture. Many young individuals engage in subsistence farming or informal employment, driven by limited access to formal job opportunities and educational resources.

3

Turkmenistan

In 2008, Turkmenistan had a Youth Labor Force Participation Rate of 47.643%, ranking #166 out of 186 countries. This rate is significantly lower than the global average, reflecting challenges in youth employment opportunities compared to more developed nations. Key drivers of this low participation include the country's centralized economy and limited job creation in diverse sectors, which restricts opportunities for young people entering the workforce.

4

Bolivia

In 2008, Bolivia achieved a Youth Labor Force Participation Rate of 68.773 %, ranking #40 out of 186 countries. This rate is notably higher than the global average, indicating a strong engagement of youth in the labor market. Contributing factors include Bolivia's youthful demographic profile and economic necessity, as many young people seek employment in a country where formal job opportunities can be limited.

5

Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe ranked #186 globally in 2008 with a Youth Labor Force Participation Rate of 24.028 %. This rate is significantly lower than many countries, reflecting a lack of employment opportunities for youth compared to the global average. Contributing factors include the nation's limited economic diversification and reliance on agriculture, which often does not absorb the growing youth population effectively.

6

Turkey

In 2008, Turkey ranked #168 globally with a Youth Labor Force Participation Rate of 46.886 %. This figure is notably lower than the global average, indicating significant challenges in youth employment compared to many other countries. Key drivers of this low participation rate include a high youth unemployment rate and economic instability, which have hindered job creation in the formal sector.

7

Lesotho

In 2008, Lesotho had a Youth Labor Force Participation Rate of 68.103 %, ranking #44 out of 186 countries. This rate is notably higher than the global average, indicating a strong engagement of young people in the labor market. Contributing factors include Lesotho's youthful population and economic reliance on agriculture, which often employs a significant number of young workers, despite challenges such as limited job opportunities in other sectors.

8

Bulgaria

In 2008, Bulgaria ranked #138 globally with a Youth Labor Force Participation Rate of 54.862 %. This rate is notably lower than the European Union average, indicating challenges in youth employment within the region. Contributing factors include a transitioning economy and high youth unemployment rates, which have historically hindered job opportunities for young Bulgarians.

9

Belgium

In 2008, Belgium's Youth Labor Force Participation Rate was 53.695 %, ranking it #143 out of 186 countries. This rate was below the European Union average, reflecting challenges in integrating young people into the workforce compared to neighboring countries like France and Germany. Factors contributing to this statistic include high educational attainment levels, which may prolong youth dependency, and a labor market that is often characterized by rigid employment regulations.

10

Australia

In 2008, Australia achieved a Youth Labor Force Participation Rate of 65.564%, ranking #64 out of 186 countries. This rate is notably higher than that of many neighboring countries, reflecting a robust engagement of young Australians in the workforce.

Key drivers behind this participation include Australia's strong economy, which offers diverse job opportunities, and a relatively high level of educational attainment among youth, enabling them to enter the labor market more effectively.

Data Source

Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) | Data

The World Bank provides data on terrestrial protected areas as a percentage of total land area for countries worldwide. This dataset offers insights into the extent of land designated for conservation purposes, reflecting national commitments to biodiversity and environmental protection.

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Historical Data by Year

Explore Youth Labor Force Participation Rate data across different years. Compare trends and see how statistics have changed over time.

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