African Americans struggled during the 1930s due to the Great Depression, which disproportionately affected minority communities. The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that began in the United States in the 1930s. The global gross domestic product (GDP) decreased by an estimated 15% from 1929 and 1932. During the Great Depression, unemployment in the United States reached 25%, and millions of Americans were out of work. African Americans were hit particularly hard by the Great Depression, as they were often the last hired and the first fired. They were also more likely to live in poverty and to have lower levels of education and job skills. As a result, African Americans suffered disproportionately from the economic hardships of the Great Depression.