Why is youth unemployment generally higher than that of other age groups? Youth unemployment has more than doubled in some countries The rise of youth unemployment since the start of the crisis is stupefying. The euro area aggregate youth unemployment rate (i.e. 16–24 years old) exceeded 20% by the end of 2011.
In some countries, however, youth unemployment has more than doubled during the crisis. In Spain it has risen from 19% to 51%, in Greece from 23% to 50% and in Ireland from 9% to 31% and in Estonia from 7% to the current 25% (although it peaked at 40% in 2010q1).