Historical trend
Trend summary
11.9% of 16–24 year olds in the UK were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in Q4 2024, up from 10.7% in mid-2023.
Trend
- The NEET rate fell from around 17% in 2011 to below 11% by 2019, rose during the pandemic, then fell back to 10.7% in Q2 2023 before rising again to 11.9% by Q4 2024.
- The rise through 2024 reflects a combination of weak labour market conditions for young workers and sustained high inactivity.
- The 16–17 NEET rate stood at 6.0% in December 2024, close to its historic low.
Context
- DfE and ONS publish NEET estimates quarterly; the 16–24 series is from the Labour Force Survey and is subject to sampling error.
- The 16–17 NEET measure is based on administrative data and is more precise for that age group.
Commentary contains no editorial judgement — describes direction, magnitude, and official projections only.
OECD comparison
🇯🇵 Japan
3.1 %
🇩🇪 Germany
8.2 %
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
14 %
🇫🇷 France
14 %
🇮🇹 Italy
19 %