Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) was 21.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at 21.4%.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 23.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 19.8%, in 2011.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 20th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 20.4% | — |
| 2006 | 20.2% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 20.1% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 20.1% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 19.9% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 19.9% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 19.8% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 20.1% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 20.1% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 20.5% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 20.9% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 21.5% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 21.8% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 22.2% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 22.7% | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 23.2% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 22.9% | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 22.6% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 21.4% | -5.4% |
| 2024 | 21.4% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 21.4% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.1% | 19.9% | 20.4% | 5 |
| 2010s | 21.0% | 19.8% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.1% | 21.4% | 23.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 49.3% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 86.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 75.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 70.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 53.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 65.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 71.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 76.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 51.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 21.4% 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 23.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.8% in 2011.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 20th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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).