• Sub-Saharan Africa youth jobless rate lower than EU’s in 2025

• ILO: 71.7% of African youth in precarious employment

• EU faces higher jobless rates but stronger labor protections
  

Sub-Saharan Africa’s unemployment rate among people under 25 was lower than the European Union’s between July 2024 and July 2025. According to Eurostat, the EU’s statistical agency, youth unemployment stood at 14.4% during that period. Meanwhile, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated Sub-Saharan Africa’s rate at 8.9% over the same timeframe.

Within the European Union, a country like Spain recorded youth unemployment rates above 23%, while Germany’s was around 6%. For the final quarter of 2025, the World Bank projects youth unemployment in Africa will remain close to 8.9%, alongside an expected economic growth rate of 3.8%. At the same time, Eurostat anticipates that youth unemployment in some European countries will remain stable or increase slightly.

However, these official figures mask the realities of working conditions. The ILO notes that the EU’s labor market is governed by strict regulations. Also, there is limited data on informal, non-standard, and precarious work in the European Union. 

In Sub-Saharan Africa, by contrast, a large share of young people work in non-standard or precarious jobs. According to ILO data, in 2023, 71.7% of youth aged 25 to 29 were employed in positions considered precarious or lacking formal contracts and social protection.

Written in French by Félicien Houindo Lokossou,

English Adaptation by Mouka Mezonlin