NEET rate: Share of youth not in employment, education or training in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: NEET rate: Share of youth not in employment, education or training was 14.76 in 2025. ▼ Falling
NEET rate: Share of youth not in employment, education or training in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1983–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 14.76, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 24.72 in 1983 and was at its lowest, 11.79, in 2021.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 70th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
NEET rate: Share of youth not in employment, education or training in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 24.72 | — |
| 1984 | 22.97 | -7.1% |
| 1985 | 22.34 | -2.7% |
| 1986 | 22.44 | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 20.87 | -7.0% |
| 1988 | 19 | -9.0% |
| 1989 | 16.16 | -15.0% |
| 1990 | 15.88 | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 18.14 | +14.2% |
| 1992 | 18.86 | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 19.92 | +5.6% |
| 1994 | 19.18 | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 13.09 | -31.8% |
| 2000 | 12.45 | -4.9% |
| 2001 | 12.19 | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 12.4 | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 12.5 | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 12.15 | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 14.66 | +20.6% |
| 2006 | 14.92 | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 14.93 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 15.17 | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 16.65 | +9.8% |
| 2010 | 16.86 | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 17.29 | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 17.14 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 16.29 | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 15.18 | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 14.1 | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 13.52 | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 12.77 | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 13.07 | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 12.58 | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 12.85 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 11.79 | -8.3% |
| 2022 | 12.15 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 13.18 | +8.4% |
| 2024 | 14.52 | +10.2% |
| 2025 | 14.76 | +1.7% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 14.76 is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.85, 1.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 14.76 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 12.09, 1.2× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 21.22 | 16.16 | 24.72 | 7 |
| 1990s | 17.51 | 13.09 | 19.92 | 6 |
| 2000s | 13.8 | 12.15 | 16.65 | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.88 | 12.58 | 17.29 | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.21 | 11.79 | 14.76 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More work & labour data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 22,956 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 60.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 35,770 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.93 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.07 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 111,361 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,223 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 57.91 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.47 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.4352 % change on previous year (2027)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 14.76 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 24.72 in 1983.
- What is the lowest neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.79 in 2021.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 70th out of 113 countries with data for 2025.
- Is neet rate: share of youth not in employment, education or training rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern 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.