Youth Poverty
Young people (15-24) are over-represented in poverty in most countries — by ratios of 1.5-3× the general population. NEET status (not in education, employment or training) affects roughly 1 in 4 young people globally — and over 40% in some sub-Saharan African and Arab states. Youth poverty has long-tail effects on lifetime earnings and life satisfaction.
Key insights
NEET is the headline youth-poverty indicator
Not in Education, Employment or Training: roughly 290 million young people globally. The rate is uneven — over 40% in many Arab states (especially women), 25%+ in sub-Saharan Africa, 15-20% in OECD. Young women have higher NEET rates than young men in most regions, especially South Asia and Arab states. NEET status often predicts long-term economic disadvantage even after later labor-market entry.
School-to-work transition is the friction point
Modern labor markets demand skills that young people often lack. Generic credentials don't always signal specific employability. Apprenticeship systems (Germany, Switzerland) reduce this friction; school-to-college-to-uncertain-jobs models (UK, US, much of Europe) leave many young people stuck. Youth unemployment rates in southern Europe (Spain 28%, Italy 22%, Greece 23%) remain elevated decades after the 2008 crisis.
Youth poverty has lifetime consequences
Studies of long-term unemployment show 'scarring' effects: workers who experience extended unemployment in youth earn less for their entire careers, even after re-entry. Mental health effects compound. Family-formation effects (delayed marriage, lower fertility) compound further. The macroeconomic returns to reducing youth NEET are large but slow to materialize in standard fiscal calculations.
NEET rate by region (2024)
% of 15-24 year-olds not in education, employment or training
Key Finding: Arab states and South Asia lead; OECD lowest.
Youth unemployment rate — selected countries
Unemployed % of labor force aged 15-24
Key Finding: South African and Spanish youth unemployment well above 20%; Germany and Japan below 10%.
Methodology & caveats
NEET definition
NEET = young person (15-24) not enrolled in any education or training and not employed. Includes both those actively seeking work (unemployed) and those not seeking (inactive). The dual inclusion captures young people 'lost' from both education and labor systems. Some countries publish narrower definitions excluding short-term gaps; ILO uses the broader concept.
Gender dimension
In most OECD countries, NEET rates are similar between young men and women. In Arab states, South Asia, parts of sub-Saharan Africa, young women's NEET rates are 2-3× young men's — driven by gender norms restricting labor-force participation. Female NEET in some Arab states reaches 65-75%.
Education and NEET
Higher educational attainment dramatically reduces NEET risk. But NEET rates are rising among tertiary-educated young people in some advanced economies (Italy, Spain, Greece, parts of US) — indicating that education isn't always enough when labor demand is weak. The mismatch between education and labor markets remains a structural challenge.