NEET rate: Share of youth not in employment, education or training in Ireland
Ireland: NEET rate: Share of youth not in employment, education or training was 7.91 in 2024. ▼ Falling
NEET rate: Share of youth not in employment, education or training in Ireland, 1983–2024
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training in Ireland is 7.91, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 3.1% on the previous year and down 55.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training in Ireland peaked at 23.7 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 7.67, in 2023.
That places Ireland 105th out of 113 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.
NEET rate: Share of youth not in employment, education or training in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 21.39 | — |
| 1984 | 22.21 | +3.9% |
| 1985 | 23.7 | +6.7% |
| 1986 | 23.11 | -2.5% |
| 1987 | 22.22 | -3.9% |
| 1988 | 18.17 | -18.2% |
| 1989 | 19.36 | +6.5% |
| 1990 | 16.64 | -14.0% |
| 1991 | 18.5 | +11.1% |
| 1992 | 19.26 | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 19.03 | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 17.53 | -7.9% |
| 1995 | 15.3 | -12.7% |
| 1996 | 14.18 | -7.3% |
| 1997 | 13.5 | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 13.62 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 10.63 | -21.9% |
| 2004 | 11.74 | +10.4% |
| 2005 | 11.43 | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 10.59 | -7.4% |
| 2007 | 11.55 | +9.1% |
| 2008 | 14.02 | +21.3% |
| 2009 | 20.22 | +44.3% |
| 2010 | 21.74 | +7.5% |
| 2011 | 22.39 | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 21.65 | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 18.8 | -13.2% |
| 2014 | 17.8 | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 16.5 | -7.3% |
| 2016 | 14.54 | -11.9% |
| 2017 | 12.86 | -11.6% |
| 2018 | 11.6 | -9.8% |
| 2019 | 11.5 | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 14.22 | +23.7% |
| 2021 | 9.61 | -32.4% |
| 2022 | 8.85 | -8.0% |
| 2023 | 7.67 | -13.3% |
| 2024 | 7.91 | +3.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 7.91 is below the median for high income countries, which is 11.85, 67% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 7.91 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.09, 65% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 21.45 | 18.17 | 23.7 | 7 |
| 1990s | 16.74 | 13.5 | 19.26 | 8 |
| 2000s | 12.98 | 10.59 | 20.22 | 8 |
| 2010s | 16.94 | 11.5 | 22.39 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.65 | 7.67 | 14.22 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More work & labour data for Ireland
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4574 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4405 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9335 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 4,354 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,447 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,638 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,649 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,286 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training in Ireland?
- Neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training in Ireland was 7.91 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 23.7 in 1985.
- What is the lowest neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.67 in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training?
- Ireland ranks 105th out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
- Is neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 55.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of NEET rate: Share of youth not in employment, education or training (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15-29). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. This indicator refers to the proportion of youth who are not in employment and not in education or training. Youth not in education are those who were neither enrolled in school nor in a formal training program (e.g. vocational training). For statistical purposes, youth are defined as persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.