What does Neet stand for and why does the UK have so many?

What does Neet stand for and how many are there in the UK?4 March 2026ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleGetty ImagesThe government wants to reduce the the number of young people who are currently not in education, employment or training - also known as Neets. They account for one in eight people aged 16 to 24 in the UK, according to the latest official figures.In the November Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced £820m of funding to support 18 to 21-year-olds into education or paid employment. What does Neet mean?A young person is considered Neet if they are:unemployed - looking for work; oreconomically inactive - not actively looking for work and not waiting to start a job or caring for familyThey are not considered to be Neet if they are in formal education, such as school or university, doing an apprenticeship or vocational course, or in full-time or part-time work.How many Neets are there?Every three months, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) releases figures on the number of Neets in the UK. The ONS produces its estimates from its Labour Force Survey. Fewer people have responded to the survey in recent years, which makes the results more volatile than in the past.There were 957,000 young people who were Neet in the UK in the period from October to December 2025. That's equivalent to 12.8% of all people aged 16 to 24.Most of those (547,000) fell into the economically inactive category.The number of Neets tends to fluctuate throughout the year. The total for the July to September period was slightly lower at 946,000, whereas the April to June total was 948,000.The largest quarterly Neets total was recorded in July to September 2011, when the number peaked at over a million after the 2008 financial crisis.Young workers hit hard as UK unemployment rate rises to 5.1%What needs to change to get more people working?'The search is soul-destroying': Young jobseekers on the struggle to find workFive tips to help you get your first jobWho are th...