Demographic Momentum Meets Labor Market Limits

MENA region labor force analysis: why the youngest region in the global economy struggles to turn demographics into jobs.

MENA is one of the youngest regions in the global economy, with roughly 55–60% of its population under 30. Demography only becomes an economic advantage when labor markets can absorb new entrants productively, and in MENA job creation has not consistently kept pace.

This special report reads the region's labor data as a structural imbalance rather than a temporary slowdown. It covers youth unemployment of 25–30%, more than double the global rate, and the education–employment mismatch behind graduate unemployment above 30% in some economies. It also looks at public sector saturation, weak private sector absorption and low GDP-to-jobs elasticity. It closes with the long-term macroeconomic risks if current trends persist.