Young people NEET, number: record highs and lows

The extremes of young people neet, number as published by Department for Education, across the 26 periods held here (2000 to 2025). Each record is a published figure, not a computed one, and the scope is this series — not “ever”.

The latest figure, 839,893 in 2025, is the highest since 2013, when it was 845,959 — every period between was lower. The rule: a period counts as beaten only when its figure is strictly below the latest, and the claim is only made when it reaches back at least five years.

Highest published

967,1322011

Lowest published

624,0002021

The full series

Young people NEET, number: 2000 to 2025LabourLabourLabourLabourLabourCoalitionCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour0250k500k750k2000201020202000: 628,846 people · published 4 August 20262001: 659,988 people · published 4 August 20262002: 661,210 people · published 4 August 20262003: 666,843 people · published 4 August 20262004: 737,628 people · published 4 August 20262005: 824,292 people · published 4 August 20262006: 804,099 people · published 4 August 20262007: 767,857 people · published 4 August 20262008: 844,550 people · published 4 August 20262009: 880,179 people · published 4 August 20262010: 933,046 people · published 4 August 20262011: 967,132 people · published 4 August 20262012: 892,618 people · published 4 August 20262013: 845,959 people · published 4 August 20262014: 786,305 people · published 4 August 20262015: 692,155 people · published 4 August 20262016: 668,411 people · published 4 August 20262017: 644,944 people · published 4 August 20262018: 650,765 people · published 4 August 20262019: 649,213 people · published 4 August 20262020: 694,610 people · published 4 August 20262021: 624,000 people · published 4 August 20262022: 739,131 people · published 4 August 20262023: 733,330 people · published 4 August 20262024: 836,955 people · published 4 August 20262025: 839,893 people · published 4 August 2026

Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

What a record here is, and is not

A record is the extreme of the periods this site holds for the current series, at each period’s newest published release. Earlier series measured under different methods are not compared against it. Money is in cash terms: a record set years ago stands against the money of its own year.