Share of youth not in education, employment or training … modeled in Iran
Iran: Share of youth not in education, employment or training … modeled was 25.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Iran, 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 Iran is 25.9%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and down 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Iran peaked at 36.0% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 25.6%, in 2023.
That places Iran 44th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 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 … modeled in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 36.0% | — |
| 2006 | 35.8% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 34.5% | -3.8% |
| 2008 | 34.2% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 34.8% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 34.4% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 32.9% | -4.4% |
| 2012 | 32.1% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 33.5% | +4.2% |
| 2014 | 33.3% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 32.7% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 32.4% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 32.3% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 32.1% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 30.4% | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 29.4% | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 27.5% | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 26.9% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 25.6% | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 25.8% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 25.9% | +0.6% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 25.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.0%, 1.3× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iran's 25.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 25.4%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 35.1% | 34.2% | 36.0% | 5 |
| 2010s | 32.6% | 30.4% | 34.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.9% | 25.6% | 29.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More work & labour data for Iran
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 44,188 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 40.34 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 29,874 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 8.53 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2.43 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 57,320 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 20,416 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 36.89 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.89 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.574 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Iran?
- Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Iran was 25.9% 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 36.0% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.6% in 2023.
- How does Iran rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of)?
- Iran ranks 44th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran 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
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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).