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 2020, at 23.5%. The Netherlands had the lowest, at 5.7%. The median was 12% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 13.8%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest23.5Italy

Lowest5.7Netherlands

Median1227 EU countries

European Union (27)13.8History

Map of EU countries, 2020

Under 9.5
9.5 to 11
11 to 14
14 to 15
15 and over

%, 2020. 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, 2020

%. 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	2020 (%)	Change on 2019
1	Italy	23.5	+1.4 pts
2	Greece	18.7	+1 pts
3	Bulgaria	18	+1.4 pts
4	Spain	17.3	+2.4 pts
5	Romania	16.6	-0.2 pts
6	Cyprus	15.2	+0.5 pts
6	Slovakia	15.2	+0.7 pts
8	Hungary	14.7	+1.6 pts
9	Croatia	14.5	+0.2 pts
10	Ireland	14.2	+2.8 pts
11	France	14	+1 pts
12	Lithuania	13	+2.1 pts
13	Poland	12.3	+0.9 pts
14	Belgium	12	+0.2 pts
15	Estonia	11.9	+1.3 pts
15	Latvia	11.9	+1.6 pts
17	Czechia	11	+1.2 pts
17	Portugal	11	+1.9 pts
19	Finland	10.3	+0.8 pts
20	Denmark	10.2	+0.6 pts
21	Malta	9.7	+1.2 pts
22	Austria	9.5	+1.2 pts
23	Slovenia	9.2	+0.4 pts
24	Germany Series break	9.1	+1.5 pts
25	Luxembourg	7.7	+1.2 pts
26	Sweden	7.2	+0.9 pts
27	Netherlands	5.7	0 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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_young_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/neet-rate-15-29/eu-countries?period=2020.
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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Questions

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

Italy, with 23.5% in 2020, 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 5.7% in 2020.

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.