According to a report by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) Labour Force Survey 2023, 7.2% of the country’s 26.76 million young labor force aged 15 to 29 years are unemployed, accounting for approximately 1.94 million individuals.
The final report, published on Sunday, reveals that 80.7% of the unemployed youth reside in rural areas, while 75.1% live in urban areas.
Overall, 78.9% of the total unemployed population comprises youth aged 15 to 29 years.
The survey indicates that among the unemployed youth- 31.5% have completed higher education, 21.3% have completed secondary education and 14.9% have completed higher secondary education.
Out of the total unemployed youth, 1.34 million (69.1%) are from rural areas, and 0.60 million (30.9%) are from urban areas.
The estimated youth unemployment rate is 7.3%, with a higher rate among males (9.6%) compared to females (4.8%).
Youth unemployment rate is 10.5%, with females at 13.3% and males at 9.3% in the urban areas.
In the rural areas youth unemployment rate is 6.4%, with males at 9.8% and females at 3.5%.
The report highlights that unemployment lasting 1 to 3 months is the highest at 24.8%.
Women tend to remain unemployed for shorter periods; only 7.9% of young women are unemployed for two years or more.
Interestingly, individuals with primary or informal education have a higher unemployment rate, while those with higher education (university degrees) have a relatively lower rate.
However, a significant portion of long-term unemployed youth (1-2 years or more) are highly educated—19.2% and 16.3%, respectively.
The survey shows that 61.7% of Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) youth are female, while 38.3% are male.
Women’s household responsibilities and institutional barriers are cited as major reasons.
The largest NEET group is aged 15-19, comprising 3.36 million (40.7%).
Among 25-29-year-olds, the rate is 30% (2.48 million).
For 20-24-year-olds, it is 29.3% (2.42 million).
Regionally, 41.9% of NEET youth are from rural areas and 58.1% are from urban areas.
Overall, 18.9% of youth aged 15-29 are NEET, with rates of 15.4% among males and 22.1% among females.
