The latest ONS figures on NEETs in the UK and a glimpse behind the statistics.
According to the latest ONS figures, there are one in eight 16-24 year-olds in the UK who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). Between July and September 2025, there were 946,000 16-24 year-olds (12.7%) who were NEET. Notably, 580,000 of those were classified as ‘economically inactive’, meaning they were not seeking employment, waiting to start work or caring for a family member. Numbers can fluctuate, so this figure is actually down from the April to June period where the figure was 948,000, but it is substantially higher than the January March total of 923,000. Alongside this, the number of young people claiming Universal Credit (UC) Health and Employment Support Allowance has risen by more than 50% over the last five years.
A few key statistics from 2025:
- Young men are more likely to be NEET than women.
- 16-17 year old NEETs are more likely to be white than other ethnicities.
- Outside of this age group, Black, Black Caribbean and Black African young people have a higher NEET rate than the UK average.
- Young people in the North East and East of England are more likely to be NEET than other UK regions.
- Young people achieving fewer than five GCSEs by the age of 18 are more likely to be NEET than those with five or more.
- A quarter of young people cited long-term sickness or disability as a barrier to employment and education.
- 80% of young people who applied for UC cited mental health reasons or neurodevelopmental conditions.
Why are young people not in employment or education?
The Youth Futures Foundation points to a rise of long-term sickness among young people. In fact, the DfE shared in 2024 that more than half of NEETs in England had a health condition and that 18% had a mental health condition. Additionally, the DfE shared that 10% of 16-24 year old NEETs in England have learning difficulties. Other factors mentioned are the challenging jobs market with a falling number of vacancies – particularly in the hospitality sector, which ‘ traditionally employs a disproportionately high number of people in the 16 to 24 age group’. Low paying roles and lack of available apprenticeships were also mentioned, as well as specific difficulties for recent graduates in finding work after university.
Former Labour Heath Secretary, Alan Milburn, will be leading an independent review into the rise of NEETs and the reasons behind the numbers.
“We cannot stand by and let a generation of young people be consigned to a life without employment or prospects…It’s clear urgent action is needed.”
