NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training (previous ILO) in South Africa

South Africa: NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training (previous ILO) was 6,497 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
6,497
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
9th
of 116 countries
All-time high
6,584
in 2022
All-time low
4,950
in 2000
Years of data
21
2000–2024

NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training (previous ILO) in South Africa, 2000–2024

02.0k4.0k6.0k2000201220242000: 5.0k2001: 5.5k2002: 5.7k2003: 5.8k2004: 5.7k2005: 5.6k2006: 5.5k2007: 5.4k2011: 6.2k2013: 5.6k2014: 5.5k2015: 5.5k2016: 5.6k2017: 5.8k2018: 5.9k2019: 6.1k2020: 6.3k2021: 6.6k2022: 6.6k2023: 6.4k2024: 6.5k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2024, neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) in South Africa stood at 6,497.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 17.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) in South Africa peaked at 6,584 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 4,950, in 2000.

South Africa ranks 9th of 116 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.

NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training (previous ILO) in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15-29) in South Africa, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 4,950
2001 5,459 +10.3%
2002 5,683 +4.1%
2003 5,763 +1.4%
2004 5,706 -1.0%
2005 5,596 -1.9%
2006 5,490 -1.9%
2007 5,355 -2.5%
2011 6,228 +16.3%
2013 5,564 -10.7%
2014 5,530 -0.6%
2015 5,463 -1.2%
2016 5,643 +3.3%
2017 5,760 +2.1%
2018 5,864 +1.8%
2019 6,057 +3.3%
2020 6,347 +4.8%
2021 6,576 +3.6%
2022 6,584 +0.1%
2023 6,409 -2.7%
2024 6,497 +1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 5,500 4,950 5,763 8
2010s 5,763 5,463 6,228 8
2020s 6,483 6,347 6,584 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 6 Egypt 7,893 compare
  2. 7 Bangladesh 7,364 compare
  3. 8 Nigeria 6,727 compare
  4. 10 Mexico 5,652 compare
  5. 11 Iran, Islamic Republic of 5,062 compare
  6. 12 Philippines 5,023 compare

See the full ranking of 116 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) in South Africa?
Neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) in South Africa was 6,497 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 6,584 in 2022.
What is the lowest neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 4,950 in 2000.
How does South Africa rank for neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo)?
South Africa ranks 9th out of 116 countries with data for 2024.
Is neet: youth not in employment, education or training (previous ilo) rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 17.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa 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) (15-29). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training (previous ILO) in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/neet-youth-not-in-employment-education-or-training-previous-ilo-definition-icls13-15-29/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
NEET: Youth not in employment, education or training (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15-29)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
116 places, 2,252 data points, 1976–2026
Last refreshed

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.