Portugal’s youth unemployment rate is higher than EU average

The youth unemployment rate in the EU fell to 13% in 2021 from 13.3% in the previous year. The highest youth unemployment rates are in southern Europe, with Portugal standing at 15.9%, above the EU average, according to data released by Eurostat on Monday.

The number of unemployed people between the ages of 15 and 29 increased in the first year of the pandemic (2020). However, it fell the year after.

As for Portugal, it surpasses the average youth unemployment with 15.9%. Among the Portuguese regions, Madeira has the highest rate (21.1%), followed by the Algarve (19.4%) and the Azores (17.2%). In the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, the rate is 16.1%, while in the other regions of the country, it is around 15%.

On the other hand, in 2021, the lowest youth unemployment rates were seen in the eastern regions of the EU: four in the Czech Republic (such as Jihozápad, which had the lowest rate among NUTS level 2 regions at 3.7%), three regions in Hungary (including Budapest (4.8%)) and Wielkopolskie (4.0%) in Poland.

Compared to the overall unemployment rate (7% in 2021 in the EU), the EU youth unemployment rate (13%) was almost double.