Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in South Asia
South Asia: Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total was 25.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in South Asia, 1994–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of youth population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in South Asia is 25.5%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 10.5% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in South Asia peaked at 32.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 22.4%, in 2023.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in South Asia, year by year
| Year | % of youth population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 32.6% | — |
| 2000 | 32.7% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 26.1% | -20.1% |
| 2005 | 30.0% | +14.8% |
| 2010 | 29.0% | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 26.9% | -7.5% |
| 2018 | 30.7% | +14.3% |
| 2019 | 31.1% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 30.6% | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 27.9% | -8.8% |
| 2022 | 24.5% | -12.3% |
| 2023 | 22.4% | -8.4% |
| 2024 | 23.1% | +3.2% |
| 2025 | 25.5% | +10.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.6% | 32.6% | 32.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 29.6% | 26.1% | 32.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 29.4% | 26.9% | 31.1% | 4 |
| 2020s | 25.7% | 22.4% | 30.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More work & labour data for South Asia
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 33.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 55.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 19.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 45.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 33.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 35.5% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 42.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 77.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 81.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 59.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in South Asia?
- Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in South Asia was 25.5% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 32.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.4% in 2023.
- How does South Asia rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total?
- South Asia ranks 4th out of 19 groups with data for 2025.
- Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Asia data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of youth not in education, employment or training (also known as “the NEET rate”) conveys the number of young persons not in education, employment or training as a percentage of the total youth population. Youth not in education are those who were neither enrolled in school nor in a formal training program (e.g. vocational training). For the purposes of this indicator, youth is defined as all persons between the ages of 15 and 24 (inclusive).