More than a fifth of Egyptian youth were unemployed in 2010, according to official data released on Thursday.

The figures from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) showed 20.4 per cent of Egyptians aged between 18 and 29 -- broadly defined as 'youth' -- were out of work last year.



A CAPMAS bulletin issued on Youth International Day showed that males with a university degree made up the largest proportion -- 26.8 per cent -- of the unemployment aged between 18 and 29



The percentage of male high school graduates was 19.2 per cent of the unemployed in the same age group, whil male non-high school graduates were 11.2 per cent of the jobless.



Females with a university degree and above comprised 55.1 per cent of the unemployed aged 18 to 29 in 2010.



On the other hand, female unemployed high school graduates and non-high school graduates in the 18 to 29 range made up 45.5 per cent and 56.1 per cent respectively.



The agency’s bulletin also said the number of Egyptian youth in the 18 to 29 range reached 19 million in 2010, representing 24.2 per cent of the country’s total population.



Percentages of total youth in this age group were distributed almost evenly among male and female youth: males were 50.5 per cent, females 49.5 per cent.



The participation of Egypt's youth in the labour force reached 51.9 per cent in 2010.

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