Countries with the highest number of youth unemployment have been ranked.
South Africa is ranked first on 62.1%, Nigeria came second in the rating on 53.4%, while Spain, 27.4%, Sweden: 24.9% and Serbia: 24.9% completed the top five countries, respectively, according to the World of Statistics.
The lowest ranked countries are South Korea: 6.1%, Hong Kong: 5.5%, Japan: 4.2%, Kazakhstan: 3.6%, and Switzerland at 1.8%.
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Here is the ranking in full:
South Africa: 62.1%,
Nigeria: 53.4%,
Spain: 27.4%,
Sweden: 24.9%
Serbia: 24.9%
Sri Lanka: 23.8%
Greece: 23.6%
Albania: 22.5%
Romania: 21.7%
Iran: 21.6%
China: 21.3%
Italy: 21.3%
Turkey: 21.6%
Luxembourg: 19.6%
Croatia: 19%
Slovakia: 18.8%
Portugal: 17.2%
France: 16.9%
Jamaica: 16.7%
Finland: 15.8%
Estonia: 15.6%
Belgium: 13.9%
Lithuania: 13.8%
Hungary: 13.3%
Taiwan: 12.03%
United Kingdom: 11.4%
Latvia: 11%
Cyprus: 10.8%
Ireland: 10.7%
New Zealand: 10.3%
Poland: 10.3%
Canada: 10.2%
Norway: 10.2%
Austria: 9.6%
Denmark: 9.3%
Netherlands: 8.3%
United States: 8%
Australia: 7.75%
Vietnam: 7.41%
Thailand: 6.5%
Germany: 6.1%
South Korea: 6.1%
Hong Kong: 5.5%
Japan: 4.2%
Kazakhstan: 3.6%
Switzerland: 1.8%
To shed more light, Nigeria is facing many problems that are disrupting its progress. Some of them are corruption, insecurity, unemployment, and lack of energy. Of these problems, the most pernicious of all them is youth unemployment.
Although Nigerians have in the recent past seen some job creation initiatives from the Federal Government with initiatives under the social investment programme, such as the N-Power, there are still growing concerns and frustrations among youth. It’s evident that youth unemployment is rapidly on the increase and may not end suddenly unless something drastic and dramatic is done by the government.
To corroborate the alarming rate of youth unemployment is the 2023 general elections where jobless youths flooded political campaign grounds. This is an avoidable tragedy.
As I sympathise with these youths whose shoulders rest on the crushing effects of the fallen standard of education in the country, which has rendered many unemployable, I must confess also that instant gratification and other negative influences have rendered some youths lazy and morally bankrupt.
However, these unruly behaviours do not by any means exonerate the government of the blame for the frustration and agonising moments the youths are passing through. The lack of political will to tackle the challenge from its roots, and creatively look for constructive channels to fight the enemy called unemployment contributed to the ever-increasing number of both the unemployed and underemployed.
To explain, if the government has done anything substantial in this direction, Nigerians will not have to look very far to see the impact. And my concern is not what the Federal Government intends to do or is capable of doing; rather, my concern is about what it is presently doing, and if it’s in the best interest of the Nigerian youth.
One needs to take a look at the danger of such wicked neglect. First, aside from the fact that youth unemployment has put us in a position of appearing before the world as a people that lack a plan for their future leaders, the situation makes the world to conclude that our government is unmindful that youth unemployment comes with challenges that cut across, regions, religions, and tribes. Undoubtedly, this had, in the past, led to the proliferation of ethnic militias as well as youth restiveness.
