NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training … 15-24 in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training … 15-24 was 1,189 in 2025. ▼ Falling
NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training (previous ILO) in United Kingdom, 1983–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 1,189 for neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) in 2025.
That represents a change of up 3.3% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) in United Kingdom peaked at 1,970 in 1983 and was at its lowest, 723.3, in 2000.
That places United Kingdom 25th out of 113 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.
NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training … 15-24 in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 1,970 | — |
| 1984 | 1,825 | -7.4% |
| 1985 | 1,763 | -3.4% |
| 1986 | 1,757 | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 1,564 | -11.0% |
| 1988 | 1,399 | -10.6% |
| 1989 | 1,107 | -20.8% |
| 1990 | 1,086 | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 1,263 | +16.3% |
| 1992 | 1,265 | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 1,347 | +6.5% |
| 1994 | 1,257 | -6.7% |
| 1999 | 743.08 | -40.9% |
| 2000 | 723.3 | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 735.92 | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 774.35 | +5.2% |
| 2003 | 796.42 | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 771.17 | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 1,068 | +38.5% |
| 2006 | 1,118 | +4.7% |
| 2007 | 1,136 | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 1,161 | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 1,272 | +9.6% |
| 2010 | 1,305 | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 1,343 | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 1,314 | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 1,240 | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 1,121 | -9.6% |
| 2015 | 1,027 | -8.4% |
| 2016 | 1,001 | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 954.3 | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 949.02 | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 943.19 | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 962.92 | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 868.34 | -9.8% |
| 2022 | 895.94 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 999.28 | +11.5% |
| 2024 | 1,151 | +15.2% |
| 2025 | 1,189 | +3.3% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1,189 is above the median for high income countries, which is 63.97, 18.6× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1,189 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 63.16, 18.8× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training … 15-24 in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | -40.9% | 1,257 | 743.08 |
| 2005 | +38.5% | 771.17 | 1,068 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,627 | 1,107 | 1,970 | 7 |
| 1990s | 1,160 | 743.08 | 1,347 | 6 |
| 2000s | 955.68 | 723.3 | 1,272 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,120 | 943.19 | 1,343 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,011 | 868.34 | 1,189 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More work & labour data for United Kingdom
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) in United Kingdom?
- Neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) in United Kingdom was 1,189 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 1,970 in 1983.
- What is the lowest neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 723.3 in 2000.
- How does United Kingdom rank for neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo)?
- United Kingdom ranks 25th out of 113 countries with data for 2025.
- Is neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15-24). 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. Youth not in education are those who were neither enrolled in school nor in a formal training program (e.g. vocational training) during a specified reference period (e.g., one week). 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.