Quick answer: In sub-Saharan Africa, the official youth unemployment rate was 8.9% in 2023, but that number hides the real problem: few young people can afford to be unemployed, so most work in insecure, low-paid or informal jobs. About 21.9% of young people, around 53 million, were not in employment, education or training (ILO, Global Employment Trends for Youth 2024). The challenge is decent work, not just any work.
Why is the youth unemployment rate in Africa so "low"?
To be counted as unemployed, a person must be without work and looking for it. In countries without unemployment benefits, most young people cannot afford that. They sell goods at a market, help on the family farm or take day labor. The ILO's brief puts it plainly: few young people can afford to forgo some form of income from work.
So the unemployment rate stays moderate while poverty among young workers stays high.
The numbers that matter more
| Indicator (sub-Saharan Africa, 2023) | Value |
|---|---|
| Youth unemployment rate | 8.9% (down from 9.5% in 2019) |
| Young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) | 21.9%, about 53 million |
| Young adult workers (25 to 29) in insecure work | 71.7% |
Source: ILO, Global Employment Trends for Youth 2024, sub-Saharan Africa brief. Some countries, such as South Africa, report much higher unemployment rates because of how their labor markets work.
$25 plants a farmer's season in Zambézia.
Paid straight to the local seed shop. You get the receipt, a field photo and a harvest update.
A gift, not an investment. Not tax-deductible.
What causes youth unemployment and underemployment in Africa?
- A young, fast-growing population. Millions enter the labor market every year, more than formal jobs grow.
- Few formal jobs. Most work is informal; the ILO estimates 85.8% of employment in Africa is informal (ILO, 2018).
- Skills mismatch. Education often doesn't match what employers or markets need.
- Little capital. Young people who want to start a business or farm rarely have savings or collateral.
- Rural decline. Farming is seen as a last resort because it pays poorly without inputs, training or markets.
What works
- Make farming pay. Agriculture already employs most rural youth. With good seed, fertilizer, storage and buyers, it can become a business rather than survival.
- Small amounts of capital. Savings groups, mobile money and micro-grants help young people start trading or farming.
- Practical skills. Short, job-linked training in trades, digital skills and farm management.
- Easier business registration. Low-cost registration that unlocks credit and contracts.
Youth unemployment in Mozambique
Mozambique has a very young population, and most young people work in agriculture or informal trade. For current national figures, see Mozambique's National Statistics Institute (INE) and the ILO's ILOSTAT database, which publish the latest labor surveys. The pattern matches the region: underemployment and low pay are bigger problems than open unemployment.
How you can help
At MBC, sponsorships help smallholder farmers, including young farmers, make farming pay. $25 buys seed, about $150 covers a full season, and you receive the seed shop receipt and a harvest update. Sponsor a farmer or read What Is the Informal Sector?
Sponsorships are gifts, not investments, and are not tax-deductible.
Sources: ILO, Global Employment Trends for Youth 2024: sub-Saharan Africa · ILO, Women and men in the informal economy (2018)