EU countries by young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29, 2025
Romania had the highest young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29 of 27 EU countries in 2025, at 19.2%. The Netherlands had the lowest, at 5.3%. The median was 10.6% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 11%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.
All EU countries, 2025
Full ranking
| Rank | EU countries | 2025 (%) | Change on 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romania | 19.2 | -0.2 pts |
| 2 | Bulgaria | 13.8 | +1.1 pts |
| 3 | Greece | 13.6 | -0.6 pts |
| 4 | Italy | 13.3 | -1.9 pts |
| 5 | France | 12.9 | +0.2 pts |
| 6 | Lithuania | 12.4 | -2.3 pts |
| 7 | Spain | 11.5 | -0.5 pts |
| 8 | Estonia | 11.2 | +0.2 pts |
| 8 | Finland | 11.2 | +1.2 pts |
| 10 | Slovakia | 11.1 | +0.4 pts |
| 11 | Latvia | 11 | +0.3 pts |
| 12 | Croatia | 10.8 | +0.2 pts |
| 13 | Cyprus | 10.6 | -2.1 pts |
| 13 | Hungary | 10.6 | -0.3 pts |
| 15 | Austria | 10.3 | +1.1 pts |
| 16 | Belgium | 9.8 | -0.1 pts |
| 17 | Germany | 9.5 | +0.6 pts |
| 18 | Poland | 9.2 | -0.2 pts |
| 19 | Luxembourg | 9 | -0.9 pts |
| 20 | Denmark Series break | 8.9 | +0.9 pts |
| 21 | Malta | 8.5 | +1.3 pts |
| 22 | Ireland | 8.1 | +0.5 pts |
| 23 | Czechia | 8 | -0.6 pts |
| 23 | Portugal | 8 | -0.7 pts |
| 25 | Slovenia | 7.6 | 0 pts |
| 26 | Sweden | 5.9 | -0.4 pts |
| 27 | Netherlands | 5.3 | +0.4 pts |
Other periods
About this ranking
People aged 15 to 29 who are not employed and received no formal or non-formal education or training in the four weeks before the survey, as a percentage of all people aged 15 to 29 (EU Labour Force Survey).
Counts both unemployed young people and those outside the labour force. The denominator is the whole age group, so it is not the youth unemployment rate. The EU target is below 9% by 2030.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
Eurostat. Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), not employed, 15 to 29 years (edat_lfse_20). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_20/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
Citation styles
APA 7
Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), not employed, 15 to 29 years (edat_lfse_20) (EU countries by young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29, 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_20/default/table
MLA 9
Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), not employed, 15 to 29 years (edat_lfse_20), EU countries by young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29, 2025. Eurostat, European Commission, 10 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_20/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/neet-rate-15-29/eu-countries. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), not employed, 15 to 29 years (edat_lfse_20). EU countries by young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29, 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_20/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/neet-rate-15-29/eu-countries.
Harvard
Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), not employed, 15 to 29 years (edat_lfse_20), EU countries by young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29, 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_20/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/neet-rate-15-29/eu-countries (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_young_2025,
author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
title = {{Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), not employed, 15 to 29 years (edat\_lfse\_20): EU countries by young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29, 2025}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_20/default/table},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/neet-rate-15-29/eu-countries. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), not employed, 15 to 29 years (edat\_lfse\_20). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat\_lfse\_20/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - Eurostat, European Commission
TI - Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), not employed, 15 to 29 years (edat_lfse_20): EU countries by young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29, 2025
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/10
PB - Eurostat, European Commission
DB - Invokely
UR - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_20/default/table
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/neet-rate-15-29/eu-countries
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/neet-rate-15-29/eu-countries.
N1 - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), not employed, 15 to 29 years (edat_lfse_20). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_20/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER -
Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank EU countries by young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29 using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"neet_rate_15_29","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=neet_rate_15_29&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(27)&limit=10
Questions
Which EU country has the highest young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29?
Romania, with 19.2% in 2025, according to Eurostat, European Commission.
Which EU country has the lowest young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29?
The Netherlands, with 5.3% in 2025.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), not employed, 15 to 29 years (edat_lfse_20). Retrieved 2026-10-12.
Young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29: other rankings
- Regions of Bulgaria (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Belgium (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Netherlands (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Germany (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Italy (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Sweden (NUTS 2)
EU countries: more rankings
- Adult participation in education and training, ages 25 to 64
- Average weekly hours worked
- Employment rate
- Activity rate
- Household spending on personal care, social protection and miscellaneous services (EUR million)
- Life expectancy at birth
- Adult literacy rate
- Household spending on recreation, sport and culture per inhabitant (EUR)