Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Arab World
Arab World: Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) was 29.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Arab World, 2005–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Arab World is 29.7%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Arab World peaked at 34.0% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 29.6%, in 2023.
That places Arab World 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Arab World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 34.0% | — |
| 2006 | 33.7% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 33.4% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 33.1% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 32.6% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 33.1% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 32.9% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 32.5% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 31.7% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 31.4% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 31.8% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 31.8% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 31.9% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 32.0% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 32.3% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 33.7% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 33.1% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 32.3% | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 29.6% | -8.5% |
| 2024 | 29.7% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 29.7% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33.4% | 32.6% | 34.0% | 5 |
| 2010s | 32.1% | 31.4% | 33.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.4% | 29.6% | 33.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
More work & labour data for Arab World
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 46.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 20.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 25.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 39.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 10.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 73.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 48.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 19.0% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 30.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 70.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Arab World?
- Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Arab World was 29.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) recorded in Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 34.0% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.6% in 2023.
- How does Arab World rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of)?
- Arab World ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Arab World data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population) (modeled ILO estimate). 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).