#KoraFacts Youth unemployment remains a barrier to the region's development. Some of the highest rates on the continent are in southern Africa, where 51% of young women and 43% of young men are unemployed. This large unemployed population indicates lost potential since communities and nations fail to benefit from what the young people could theoretically contribute. Also, difficulties finding and sustaining employment detract from a young person’s lifetime productivity and earnings, making it more challenging to escape poverty.