ILO estimate of the youth NEET rate in North Korea
The ILO estimates that 9.4% of young people in North Korea were not in employment, education or training in 2025. The value for 2025 is the lowest in the series, which starts in 2005.
North Korea, 2025
9.4%
Change from 2024
−0.2percentage points
World, 2025
20.0%
Position in 2025
152nd of 181
ILO estimate of the youth NEET rate in North Korea over time
View
North Korea
World
×
The chart loads when you scroll to it. The table below shows the same data.
The chart shows a calculation from the published values. The table below keeps the published values.
% of youth aged 15 to 24. Source: ILO, ILOSTAT (ILO Modelled Estimates). Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years. Dashed lines are projections.
| Period | North Korea | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9.4% | 20.0% |
| 2024 | 9.5% | 19.9% |
| 2023 | 9.6% | 19.7% |
| 2022 | 10.1% | 20.4% |
| 2021 | 11.4% | 21.4% |
| 2020 | 12.6% | 22.7% |
| 2019 | 11.3% | 21.3% |
| 2018 | 11.6% | 21.4% |
| 2017 | 12.2% | 21.4% |
| 2016 | 12.6% | 21.4% |
Flags: f Projection . A dash means no value was published.
In short
- That is a change of −0.2 percentage points from 9.5% in 2024.
- Since 2015, when it was 12.5%, the figure has changed by −3.1 percentage points.
- Among the 181 countries with data for 2025, North Korea has the 152nd highest value.
- The figure for the world in 2025 was 20.0%.
More for North Korea
All statistics for North Korea
ILO estimate of youth unemployment
7.9%
2025 · ILOSTAT
Out-of-school children
0.5%uis_est (UIS estimate)
2009 · UNESCO UIS
Primary net enrolment
99.5%uis_est (UIS estimate)
2009 · UNESCO UIS
Youth literacy
100.0%
2008 · UNESCO UIS
Education share of public spending
14.6%
2025 · UNESCO UIS
Primary school enrolment (gross)
92.1%
2018 · World Bank