Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: 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, 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 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 peaked at 23.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 19.8%, in 2011.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 20th of 47 groups on this measure, 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, 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
More work & labour data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 70.23 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 564,978 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 239,462 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 5.73 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 2.92 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.5 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 11,723 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.04 % change on previous year (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 66.21 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 4,279 (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- 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?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.8% in 2011.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- 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 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).