Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in China
China: Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) was 11.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in China, 2005–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
China recorded 11.2% for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in 2025.
That represents a change of up 3.5% on the previous year and down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in China peaked at 17.1% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 10.7%, in 2018.
That places China 142nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
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 China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 17.0% | — |
| 2006 | 17.1% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 16.8% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 16.7% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 16.5% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 15.9% | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 15.4% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 14.8% | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 14.0% | -5.2% |
| 2014 | 13.2% | -5.6% |
| 2015 | 12.6% | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 12.1% | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 11.6% | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 10.7% | -8.2% |
| 2019 | 10.7% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 12.1% | +13.0% |
| 2021 | 10.8% | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 10.8% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 10.9% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 10.8% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 11.2% | +3.5% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 11.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.0%, 56% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- China's 11.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.8%, 88% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.8% | 16.5% | 17.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | 13.1% | 10.7% | 15.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.1% | 10.8% | 12.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
- 139 United States of America 11.7% compare
- 140 Republic of Moldova 11.6% compare
- 141 Cuba 11.5% compare
- 143 Tanzania, United Republic of 11.1% compare
- 144 Korea 11.0% compare
- 145 Cambodia 11.0% compare
More work & labour data for China
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.65 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1.74 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.57 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.11 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.0615 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 1.12 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 275,362 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 319,567 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 326,230 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 645,797 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in China?
- Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in China was 11.2% 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 17.1% in 2006.
- What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.7% in 2018.
- How does China rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of)?
- China ranks 142nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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).