Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in OECD members
OECD members: Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) was 12.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in OECD members, 2005–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in OECD members stood at 12.6%.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in OECD members peaked at 16.3% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 12.4%, in 2023.
OECD members ranks 41st of 47 groups 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 OECD members, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 16.0% | — |
| 2006 | 15.5% | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 15.1% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 15.2% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 16.3% | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 16.1% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 15.7% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 15.5% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 15.3% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 14.6% | -4.8% |
| 2015 | 14.1% | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 13.7% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 13.3% | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 13.2% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 13.1% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 15.1% | +15.4% |
| 2021 | 13.7% | -9.2% |
| 2022 | 12.7% | -7.2% |
| 2023 | 12.4% | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 12.6% | +1.6% |
| 2025 | 12.6% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.6% | 15.1% | 16.3% | 5 |
| 2010s | 14.4% | 13.1% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.2% | 12.4% | 15.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
- 38 Cape Verde 28.2% compare
- 39 Papua New Guinea 27.7% compare
- 40 Ghana 27.5% compare
- 41 Mali 27.2% compare
- 42 Barbados 26.2% compare
- 43 Rwanda 26.0% compare
- 44 Iran, Islamic Republic of 25.9% compare
More work & labour data for OECD members
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 53.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 60.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 68.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 43.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 78.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 73.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in OECD members?
- Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in OECD members was 12.6% 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 16.3% in 2009.
- What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.4% in 2023.
- How does OECD members rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of)?
- OECD members ranks 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this OECD members 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).