The share of young people aged 15 to 29 who are not in employment, education or training declined significantly in recent years, according to data released by Eurostat on Thursday.
In 2025, the NEET rate in the EU stood at 11.0%, down from 11.1% in 2024 and 15.2% in 2015.
In Cyprus, the rate fell to 10.6%, compared with 18.5% in 2015.
According to Eurostat, the downward trend brings the EU closer to its target of reducing the NEET rate to 9% by 2030, as set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights.
The NEET rate varies by age group. Among younger people aged 15 to 19, the rate stood at 5.3%, rising to 12.8% among those aged 20 to 24 and 14.7% for those aged 25 to 29.
The lowest NEET rates were recorded in the Netherlands, at 5.3%, Sweden at 5.9%, and Slovenia at 7.6%. The highest rates were observed in Romania at 19.2%, followed by Bulgaria at 13.8% and Greece at 13.6%.
