Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Zambia

Zambia: Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total was 26.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
26.7%
Change on year
down 7.7%
World rank
17th
of 124 countries
All-time high
41.4%
in 2015
All-time low
12.9%
in 2008
Years of data
10
2008–2024

Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Zambia, 2008–2024

102030402008201620242008: 12.9 % of youth population2015: 41.4 % of youth population2017: 29.3 % of youth population2018: 32.8 % of youth population2019: 32.5 % of youth population2020: 31.1 % of youth population2021: 31.4 % of youth population2022: 29.4 % of youth population2023: 28.9 % of youth population2024: 26.7 % of youth population

Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of youth population.

Analysis

Zambia recorded 26.7% for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in 2024.

The figure is down 7.7% on the previous year and down 35.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Zambia peaked at 41.4% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 12.9%, in 2008.

Zambia ranks 17th of 124 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.

Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Zambia, year by year

Annual values for Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population) in Zambia, 2008 to 2024.
Year % of youth population Change
2008 12.9%
2015 41.4% +219.7%
2017 29.3% -29.1%
2018 32.8% +11.9%
2019 32.5% -0.9%
2020 31.1% -4.6%
2021 31.4% +1.0%
2022 29.4% -6.4%
2023 28.9% -1.5%
2024 26.7% -7.7%

Zambia compared with similar countries

  • Zambia's 26.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23.8%, 1.1× the median. (27 countries reporting)
  • Zambia's 26.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 23.9%, 1.1× the median. (21 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 12.9% 12.9% 12.9% 1
2010s 34.0% 29.3% 41.4% 4
2020s 29.5% 26.7% 31.4% 5

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 14 Timor-Leste 29.1% compare
  2. 15 Honduras 29.0% compare
  3. 16 Pakistan 28.5% compare
  4. 18 Palestine, State of 25.8% compare
  5. 19 India 25.6% compare
  6. 20 Saint Lucia 25.5% compare

See the full ranking of 143 places →

More work & labour data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Zambia?
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Zambia was 26.7% in 2024, 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 Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 41.4% in 2015.
What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 12.9% in 2008.
How does Zambia rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total?
Zambia ranks 17th out of 124 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 35.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Zambia 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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Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total in Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-youth-not-in-education-employment-or-training-total-percent-of-youth-population-2/zambia/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population)
Unit
% of youth population
Source
Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
143 places, 2,755 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

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).