13.0% of people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were not in education, employment or training in April to June 2026: 981,000 young people
Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), as a share of everyone aged 16 to 24, UK, quarterly, 2001 to 2026. Per cent, seasonally adjusted.
Latest figures
| Series | Period | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Share who are NEET | April to June 2026 | 13.0% |
Notes
- Someone counts as NEET if they are not in any education or training and not in work. That includes people who are unemployed (looking for work) and people who are economically inactive (not looking for work, for example because they are caring for family or are long-term sick or disabled).
- Figures come from the Labour Force Survey, a sample survey of households, and each covers a calendar quarter. Like all survey estimates they are uncertain, and small changes from one quarter to the next may not be real changes.
- The survey's response rate has fallen since 2020. The ONS changed how it collects and weights the survey from January 2024; figures from January to March 2025 include the full effect, and some volatility remains in estimates for mid-2023 and 2024. The ONS advises focusing on long-term movements rather than short-term changes.
- Figures from January to March 2019 onwards were reweighted, which causes a step change in the series.
- Figures are revised in later editions, including when the seasonal adjustment is reviewed.
Sources
More on economy
- The UK economy was 1.4% larger in April to June 2026 than a year earlier
- GDP per person was £42,493 in the year to June 2026, in 2024 prices
- Real household disposable income was £26,154 per person in the year to June 2026, in 2024 prices
- Consumer prices rose 3.1% in the year to August 2026
- The unemployment rate was 4.9% in May to July 2026
- 75.1% of people aged 16 to 64 were in work in May to July 2026
- 6.4% of people aged 16 to 64 in the UK were economically inactive because of long-term sickness in May to July 2026: 2.78 million people
- Average weekly pay after inflation was 0.9% higher in May to July 2026 than a year earlier
- There were 702,000 job vacancies in the UK in June to August 2026