European youth unemployment in the aftermath of the Great Recession

As a consequence of the Great Recession, starting in most European countries in 2009, the number of unemployed young people increased significantly. Using 2008 as the reference point, where most European countries were performing quite well economically, the total number of unemployed young people aged 15 to 24 years was 4.2 million according to Eurostat. In the recession years European youth unemployment rose to 5.6 million in 2012 and declined thereafter to 3.8 million in 2017. However, the development of youth unemployment figures differs across Europe. Whilst the majority of European countries recovered in terms of youth unemployment, some countries are still suffering.