EU countries by young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29

Italy had the highest young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29 of 27 EU countries in 2017, at 24.1%. The Netherlands had the lowest, at 5.9%. The median was 12.3% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 13.7%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest24.1Italy

Lowest5.9Netherlands

Median12.327 EU countries

European Union (27)13.7History

Map of EU countries, 2017

Under 8.9
8.9 to 11
11 to 13
13 to 17
17 and over

%, 2017. Source: Eurostat, Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), not employed, 15 to 29 years (edat_lfse_20). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2017

%. Source: Eurostat, Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), not employed, 15 to 29 years (edat_lfse_20). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	EU countries	2017 (%)	Change on 2016
1	Italy	24.1	-0.2 pts
2	Greece	21.3	-0.9 pts
3	Bulgaria	18.9	-3.5 pts
4	Croatia	17.9	-1.5 pts
5	Romania	17.8	-2.4 pts
6	Cyprus	17.6	-0.4 pts
7	Spain	16.4	-1.7 pts
8	Slovakia	16	+0.1 pts
9	France	13.8	-0.5 pts
10	Hungary	13.3	-0.8 pts
11	Poland	12.9	-0.9 pts
12	Ireland Series break	12.8	-1.7 pts
13	Belgium Series break	12.6	-0.4 pts
14	Latvia	12.3	-1 pts
15	Estonia	11.6	-2.5 pts
16	Finland	10.9	-0.8 pts
17	Portugal	10.6	-2.1 pts
18	Lithuania	10.2	-0.5 pts
19	Czechia	10	-1.1 pts
20	Denmark Series break	9.8	+1.4 pts
21	Slovenia	9.3	-1.6 pts
22	Malta	8.8	-0.6 pts
23	Germany	8.5	-0.4 pts
24	Austria	8.4	-0.5 pts
25	Sweden	6.8	-0.3 pts
26	Luxembourg	6.6	-0.2 pts
27	Netherlands	5.9	-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

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

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, 2017) [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, 2017. 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?period=2017. 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, 2017. 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?period=2017.

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, 2017 [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?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_young_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  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?period=2017. 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, 2017
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?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/neet-rate-15-29/eu-countries?period=2017.
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  -

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Rank EU countries by young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29 using official data, and cite the source.

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Questions

Which EU country has the highest young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29?

Italy, with 24.1% in 2017, 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 5.9% in 2017.

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.