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

Romania had the highest young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), ages 15 to 29 of 27 EU countries in 2022, at 19.8%. The Netherlands had the lowest, at 4.2%. The median was 10.7% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 11.7%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest19.8Romania

Lowest4.2Netherlands

Median10.727 EU countries

European Union (27)11.7History

Map of EU countries, 2022

Under 8.4
8.4 to 9.3
9.3 to 11
11 to 13
13 and over

%, 2022. 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, 2022

%. 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	2022 (%)	Change on 2021
1	Romania	19.8	-0.5 pts
2	Italy	19	-4.1 pts
3	Greece	15.4	-1.9 pts
4	Bulgaria	14.8	-2.6 pts
5	Cyprus	14.4	-0.6 pts
6	Croatia	13.1	-1.8 pts
7	Spain	12.7	-1.5 pts
8	Slovakia Series break	12.3	-1.9 pts
9	France	12	-0.8 pts
10	Czechia Series break	11.4	+0.5 pts
11	Latvia	11.3	-0.8 pts
12	Hungary	10.7	-1 pts
12	Lithuania	10.7	-2 pts
12	Poland	10.7	-2.5 pts
15	Estonia	10.6	-0.6 pts
16	Finland	9.5	+0.2 pts
17	Belgium	9.2	-0.9 pts
18	Austria	9.1	-0.3 pts
19	Germany	8.6	-0.7 pts
19	Ireland	8.6	-1.2 pts
21	Portugal	8.5	-1.2 pts
22	Slovenia	8.4	+1.1 pts
23	Denmark	7.9	-0.5 pts
24	Malta	7.6	-2.9 pts
25	Luxembourg	7.4	-1.4 pts
26	Sweden	5.6	-0.5 pts
27	Netherlands	4.2	+0.3 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, 2022) [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, 2022. 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=2022. 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, 2022. 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=2022.

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, 2022 [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=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_young_2022,
  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, 2022}},
  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=2022. 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, 2022
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=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/neet-rate-15-29/eu-countries?period=2022.
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?

Romania, with 19.8% in 2022, 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 4.2% in 2022.

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.