China youth unemployment rate (16-24)
China youth unemployment rate (16-24) stood at 17.9% in Jul 2026, according to National Statistics Office (NSO) of China (NBS). It is one of the indicators in the Unemployment rate table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jan 2018 to Jul 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Unemployment rate table
| Indicator | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | 10-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth unemployment (16-24) | 17.9 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 16.3 | 16.9 | 16.1 | 16.3 | 16.5 | 16.9 | 17.3 | |
| Unemployment (25-29) | 7.2 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 7.4 | 7.7 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 7.2 | |
| Unemployment (30-59) | 3.9 | 4 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
Understanding china youth unemployment rate (16-24)
This statistical figure reflects the difficulty in finding employment among the youth population entering the labour force entry stage. The age limit is strictly defined within the young adult framework, excluding children below the minimum age threshold and those exceeding this limit. Unlike the general unemployment rate applied to the entire urban labour force, this indicator fluctuates very sensitively with university recruitment cycles and new staffing demand in the services sector.
Reading and understanding the data requires caution regarding timing adjustments to the calculation rules for students versus officially graduated workers. Experts recommend observing the migration trends across recruitment seasons rather than focusing on a few isolated months. Comparing results with the same period of the previous year helps eliminate noise caused by graduation seasonality concentrated in certain peak periods of the year.
Frequently asked questions
- What age group is included in the survey scope of this metric?
- The age bracket ranges from young adults to the threshold of early middle age.
- Why does this rate often fluctuate sharply in the middle of the year?
- This is when a wave of university graduates enters the job market simultaneously.
- Does this metric include school students currently studying?
- No, those enrolled in regular education are not counted as an active labour force seeking work.