Young people are key drivers of social and economic change. They are the human capital of every country. Yet, in Europe, many young people are ‘neither in employment nor in education or training’ (NEET). In 2024, 11% of people aged 15 to 29 in the EU were NEET. The EU wants to cut this figure to below 9% by 2030. Yet, as of 2024, only 11 out of 34 European countries have already met this target.NEET rates vary widely across Europe. In some countries, the gender gap is especially large. So, which countries have the highest rates of young people who are neither in employment nor in education or training? Where in Europe has the most young people ‘neither in employment nor in education or training'?According to Eurostat, the share of young NEETs in the EU ranged from 4.9% in the Netherlands to 19.4% in Romania in 2024. “Poor educational outcomes of young people are a major concern in Romania and are one main driver of the high share of young people not in employment, education or training,” the OECD’s 2025 Romania report finds.When EU candidate countries, the UK and EFTA states are included, Turkey records the highest rate. More than one in four young people there (25.9%) are NEET. Bosnia and Herzegovina follows with 22.2%. Both countries are EU candidates. In general, Southern and Southeastern Europe have much higher NEET rates, while Northern and Western Europe generally perform better.In addition to Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina, several countries are above the EU average. These include Romania (19.4%), Italy (15.2%), Serbia (14.9%), Lithuania (14.7%), Greece (14.2%) and Bulgaria (12.7%).Among Europe’s five largest economies, four recorded NEET rates above the EU average: Italy (15.2%), France (12.5%), the UK (12.1%) and Spain (12%).Germany has the lowest rate, with 8.5% of young people classified as NEET.Besides the Netherlands (4.9%), other strong performers include Iceland (5.0%), Sweden (6.3%), Norway (6.8%), Malta (7.2%), as well as Ireland and Slovenia (both 7.6%). These countries show success in helping young people find a pathway.The gap between countries is striking. Turkey’s rate is more than five times that of the Netherlands. Mehmet Ozan Özdemir and his colleagues (2023), academics who analysed the NEET Turkey data, suggested that skills-gap or skills-mismatch is one of the main causes of high NEET rate in Turkey. “There seems to be a large gap between the skills demanded by the labour market and the skills acquired by students in universities,” OECD’s Turkey desk told Euronews Business, explaining the high unemployment rates among university graduates. OECD’s 2025 survey also highlights Turkey’s relatively low share of graduates in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). The report calls for more labour-market relevant courses.Gender gap outliers: Turkey, Romania and CzechiaThe gender gap in NEET rates is striking in some countries. Overall, men have lower rates than women. On average in the EU, 10% of young men are NEET compared with 12.1% of young women. This equals a gap of 2.1 percentage points (pp), or 21%.Three countries are clear outliers. In Turkey, 15.8% of young men are NEET compared with 36.4% of young women. This represents a gap of 20.6 pp, or 130% more among women.In Romania, the rates are 14% for men and 25.2% for women—an 11.2 point gap, or 80% more. In Czechia, only 3.9% of young men are NEET compared with 13.3% of women. That is a 9.4 pp gap, or 241% more.Of 32 countries, the NEET rate is actually higher among men than women in only five countries. This includes Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia and Belgium. The Nordic countries dominate this trend.In Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, the NEET rate among women is also more than 40% higher than among men.Unemployed or outside the labour force?There are two main reasons behind NEET rates: young people are either unemployed or outside the labour force. In most countries, the share outside the labour force is higher than the share unemployed, with only three exceptions. Across the EU, the average is 4.2% unemployed compared with 6.9% outside the labour force.Outside the labour force refers to the people who are not employed and are either not actively seeking work or not available to work. They are also known as economically inactive population, according to the International Labour Organization.Higher shares of young people outside the labour force push NEET rates up. In Turkey, one in five young people (20%) are outside the labour force. This drives Turkey to the highest overall NEET rate, even though the official unemployment rate among 15–29 year olds is only 5.9%.The same pattern appears in Romania, where 5.4% are unemployed compared with 14% outside the labour force. In Italy, Lithuania and Bulgaria, the share outside the labour force is 10% or above.Young women in Turkey left most outside the labour forceData shows that young female NEETs are more likely to be outside the labour force than young men, with only one exception—Estonia. In the EU, the shares are 8.5% for women and 5.3% for men. In Turkey, the gap is dramatic: almost one in three young women (30.5%) aged 15–29 who are not in education are outside the labour force. The rate is also high in Romania, at 21%.Why is this the case in Turkey? According to a 2023 study by Mehmet Ozan Özdemir and colleagues, being female and married greatly increases the risk of becoming NEET. Traditional household duties such as housework, childcare, and caring for the sick or elderly raise the likelihood that married women will be NEET.