Indicator 8.6.1 - Proportion of youth (aged 15–24 years) not in education, employment or training - Indicators For The Sustainable Development Goals

Percent of US population 16 to 24 years who are not enrolled in school and are either unemployed or not in the labor force
Year	Value	Units
1994	17.2	Percent
1995	16.9	Percent
1996	16.2	Percent
1997	15.3	Percent
1998	14.6	Percent
1999	14.3	Percent
2000	14.3	Percent
2001	14.9	Percent
2002	15.4	Percent
2003	15.8	Percent
2004	15.2	Percent
2005	15.5	Percent
2006	14.8	Percent
2007	14.5	Percent
2008	15.4	Percent
2009	17.5	Percent
2010	17.6	Percent
2011	17.1	Percent
2012	16.5	Percent
2013	17.6	Percent
2014	16.6	Percent
2015	15.7	Percent
2016	15.3	Percent
2017	14.0	Percent
2018	13.9	Percent
2019	13.3	Percent
2020	17.2	Percent
2021	14.9	Percent
2022	14.4	Percent
2023	14.1	Percent

This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from United States statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from American statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other American-specific metadata information.

Indicator	Percent of population 16 to 24 years who are not enrolled in school and are either unemployed or not in the labor force
Organisation	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / Current Population Survey
Definition and concepts	Percentage of civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years who are not enrolled in school and are either unemployed or not in labor force
Unit of measure	Percent
Data sources	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / Current Population Survey
Data providers	BLS Division of International Technical Cooperation staff
Comment and limitations	https://www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability There was a major redesign to the Current Population Survey beginning in 1994, so data for earlier years are not strictly comparable to those from 1994 onward. (https://www.bls.gov/cps/revisions1994.pdf)
Method of computation	Source: Current Population Survey (CPS) - a monthly national sample household survey. Technical Documentation and Methodology: https://www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm Indicator = 100*(16 to 24 years, Not Enrolled in School, Unemployed or Not in the Labor Force)/(Total, 16 to 24 years)
Date of national source publication	Early 2024
Periodicity	Annual
Scheduled update by national source	Annual data for 2024 will be available in early 2025
Date metadata updated	July 2024
Time period	1994-2023

This table provides information on metadata for SDG indicators as defined by the UN Statistical Commission. Complete global metadata is provided by the UN Statistics Division.

Indicator	Indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth (aged 15–24 years) not in education, employment or training
Target	Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training
Organisation	International Labour Organization (ILO)
Definition and concepts	Definition: This indicator conveys the proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment or training (also known as "the youth NEET rate"). Concepts: For the purposes of this indicator, youth is defined as all persons between the ages of 15 and 24 (inclusive). According to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), education is defined as organized and sustained communication designed to bring about learning. Formal education is defined in ISCED as education that is institutionalized, intentional, and planned through public organizations and recognized private bodies and, in their totality, make up the formal education system of a country. Non-formal education, like formal education is defined in ISCED as education that is institutionalized, intentional and planned by an education provider but is considered an addition, alternative and/or a complement to formal education. It may be short in duration and/or low in intensity and it is typically provided in the form of short courses, workshops, or seminars. Informal learning is defined in ISCED as forms of learning that are intentional or deliberate, but not institutionalized. It is thus less organized and less structured than either formal or non-formal education. Informal learning may include learning activities that occur in the family, in the workplace, in the local community, and in daily life, on a self-directed, family-directed or socially directed basis. For the purposes of this indicator, persons will be considered in education if they are in formal or non-formal education, as described above, but excluding informal learning. Employment is defined as all persons of working age who, during a short reference period (one week), were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit. The difference between the two series for a given country is the operational criteria used to define employment, with one series based on the statistical standards from the 13th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) and the other series based on 19th ICLS standards. In the 19th ICLS series, employment is defined more narrowly as work done for pay or profit, while activities not done mainly in exchange for remuneration (i.e., own-use production work, volunteer work and unpaid trainee work) are recognized as other forms of work. For the purpose of this indicator, persons are considered to be in training if they are in a non-academic learning activity through which they acquire specific skills intended for vocational or technical jobs. Vocational training prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, and for skilled operative jobs, both blue and white collar related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation. Technical training on the other hand imparts learning that can be applied in intermediate-level jobs, in particular those of technicians and middle managers.
Unit of measure	Percent (%)
Data sources	The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey. In the absence of a labour force survey, a population census and/or other type of household survey with an appropriate employment module may be used to obtain the required data.
Data providers	Mainly national statistical offices, and in some cases labour ministries or other related agencies, at the country-level. In some cases, regional or international statistical offices can also act as data providers.
Comment and limitations	The calculation of this indicator requires having reliable information on both the labour market status and the participation in education or training of youth. The quality of such information is heavily dependent on the questionnaire design, the sample size and design and the accuracy of respondents' answers. To avoid misinterpreting this indicator, it is important to bear in mind that it is composed of two different sub-groups (unemployed youth not in education or training and youth outside the labour force not in education or training). The prevalence and composition of each sub-group would have policy implications, and thus should also be considered when analysing the NEET rate.
Method of computation	$Y o u t h N E E T r a t e = \frac{ Y o u t h - (Y o u t h i n e m p l o y m e n t + Y o u t h n o t i n e m p l o y m e n t b u t i n e d u c a t i o n o r t r a i n i n g)}{Y o u t h} \times 100$ It is important to note here that youth simultaneously in employment and education or training should not be double counted when subtracted from the total number of youth. The formula can also be expressed as: $Y o u t h N E E T r a t e = \frac{\begin{matrix} (U n e m p l o y e d y o u t h + Y o u t h o u t s i d e t h e l a b o u r f o r c e) - \\ (U n e m p l o y e d y o u t h i n e d u c a t i o n o r t r a i n i n g + Y o u t h o u t s i d e t h e l a b o u r f o r c e i n e d u c a t i o n o r t r a i n i n g) \end{matrix}}{Y o u t h} \times 100$
Metadata update	2024-08-02
International organisations(s) responsible for global monitoring	International Labour Organization (ILO)
Related indicators	8.5.2

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Indicator 8.6.1 Proportion of youth (aged 15–24 years) not in education, employment or training

Percent of population 16 to 24 years who are not enrolled in school and are either unemployed or not in the labor force

Headline data

Percent of US population 16 to 24 years who are not enrolled in school and are either unemployed or not in the labor force