Youth restiveness can fit the label as a sustained protestation embarked upon to enforce a desired outcome from a constituted authority. The youths constitute a force, that if their energies are properly controlled, there will be vast progress and improvement. Nevertheless, when such energies are degenerated on actions that are unfavourable, it results into crimes. Such crimes as hostage-taking of prominent citizens and expatriate oil workers, illegal oil bunkering and arms insurgency have all caused insecurity for business to thrive, thereby affecting economic development in Nigeria. It is in line with this, that the study examined youth restiveness and its impact on the economic development in Nigeria using Niger-Delta as a study. The study used the relative deprivation and the broken window theories as the theoretical framework. The research adopted qualitative method. The population was the youths in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger-Delta. This part of the country was purposively selected because the youth in this area constituted the major restive behaviour witnessed in Nigeria between 2010 and 2018. Data were collected through documentary review (of publications on youth restiveness) as well as journals, and materials from the internet. Findings showed that the nature of most youths that engage in youth restive activities in the Niger-Delta do not have access to formal education; these youths are majorly unemployed and poor. Also, the institutional effort of the government in eradicating youth restiveness has proven incapable of alleviating the critical situation and that the governments’ lack of leadership and discipline has hindered the eradication of youth restiveness. Furthermore, the effect of youth restiveness on the economic development in Nigeria has cost the nation its stability, general improvement, cultural integrity, likelihood of survival and its preservation of national value. The study concluded that youth restiveness is a serious issue that has affected Nigerian state in the negative. It caused a drastic reduction of per capita increase of the nation’s production which forms the basis for economic development. It was recommended that, government should pay more attention to the needs and demands of the less privileged youths in the country by giving them scholarships, entrepreneurship loans and skill acquisition programs. This will engage them in legitimate works and prevent any form of idleness. There should be an enlightenment campaign against youth restiveness, as this will make citizens become more educated on the damage youth restiveness can bring to the society.