Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Ireland
Ireland: Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) was 5.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Ireland, 2005–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Ireland recorded 5.8% for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and down 59.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Ireland peaked at 19.5% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 5.1%, in 2023.
Ireland ranks 178th of 187 countries on this measure, 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 Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8.9% | — |
| 2006 | 9.3% | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 10.1% | +8.8% |
| 2008 | 12.5% | +24.4% |
| 2009 | 18.3% | +46.1% |
| 2010 | 19.5% | +6.3% |
| 2011 | 19.2% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 19.2% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 16.4% | -14.4% |
| 2014 | 15.3% | -7.0% |
| 2015 | 14.3% | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 12.6% | -11.6% |
| 2017 | 11.0% | -13.1% |
| 2018 | 10.1% | -7.9% |
| 2019 | 10.2% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 12.1% | +18.9% |
| 2021 | 7.2% | -40.2% |
| 2022 | 6.4% | -11.0% |
| 2023 | 5.1% | -21.3% |
| 2024 | 5.8% | +13.7% |
| 2025 | 5.8% | +1.2% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 5.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 10.6%, 55% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 5.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.5%, 56% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.8% | 8.9% | 18.3% | 5 |
| 2010s | 14.8% | 10.1% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.1% | 5.1% | 12.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More work & labour data for Ireland
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4574 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4405 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9335 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 4,354 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,447 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,638 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,649 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,286 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Ireland?
- Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Ireland was 5.8% 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 19.5% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.1% in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of)?
- Ireland ranks 178th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 59.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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).