Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Upper middle income
Upper middle income: Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) was 16.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Upper middle 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 Upper middle income stood at 16.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Upper middle income peaked at 21.6% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 16.3%, in 2024.
That places Upper middle income 34th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Upper middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 21.6% | — |
| 2006 | 21.3% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 21.0% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 20.7% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 20.6% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 20.0% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 19.6% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 19.0% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 18.8% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 18.3% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 18.2% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 18.1% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 17.9% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 17.4% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 17.3% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 18.9% | +9.0% |
| 2021 | 17.5% | -7.3% |
| 2022 | 16.7% | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 16.3% | -2.4% |
| 2024 | 16.3% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 16.5% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 21.0% | 20.6% | 21.6% | 5 |
| 2010s | 18.5% | 17.3% | 20.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.0% | 16.3% | 18.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Upper middle income
- 31 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 30.1% compare
- 32 Samoa 30.1% compare
- 33 Central African Republic 29.9% compare
- 34 Congo 29.4% compare
- 35 Gabon 29.4% compare
- 36 Zambia 29.1% compare
- 37 Timor-Leste 29.0% compare
More work & labour data for Upper middle income
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 72.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 62.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 38.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 49.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 44.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 60.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 69.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 78.7% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 75.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 53.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Upper middle income?
- Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Upper middle income was 16.5% 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 Upper middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 21.6% in 2005.
- What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) recorded in Upper middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.3% in 2024.
- How does Upper middle income rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of)?
- Upper middle income ranks 34th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) rising or falling in Upper middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Upper middle 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).