The State of European Youth: Five Trends Shaping the Next Generation

On International Youth Day on 12 August, we looked into our Eurostat datasets to see what the data could tell us about the youths of the European Union.

Here are the top 5 insights:

1. Europe’s Young Population Is Shrinking

Young people are becoming a smaller share of Europe’s overall population.

Youth population as a share of total population

• Youth (15–29) represented 19.0% of Europe’s population in 2008.
• By 2025 this had fallen to 16.4%.
• The decline appears to have stabilised over the past three years, suggesting demographic bottoming out.

Dataset: Ratio of young people in the total population on January by sex and age

What the data shows: This long-term demographic trend provides important context when analysing education, employment and workforce participation across Europe.

2. Labour Market Outcomes Have Improved Since the Early 2010s

Employment outcomes have improved dramatically since the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, but opportunities remain uneven.

Youth unemployment has fallen sharply

• Youth unemployment peaked at 25.2% in 2013 and fell to 15.0% in 2024.
• Greece, Croatia, Spain and Italy recorded the largest improvements.

Dataset: Youth unemployment rate by sex

Employment is now at a record high

• Employment reached 65.9% in 2024.
• Highest level recorded.
• Above the pre-financial crisis peak.
• Entrepreneurship is beginning to recover

Dataset: Youth employment rate (20–29)

Young self-employed people declined from 2.70 million (2005) to 1.97 million (2021)

• Recovered to 2.15 million in 2023.

Dataset: Youth self-employment

What the data shows: Taken together, these indicators suggest labour market outcomes for young Europeans have strengthened compared with the period following the global financial crisis.

3. Fewer Young People Are Disengaged, But Differences Remain

Fewer young people are neither in employment nor in education and training (or NEET), but geography and social background continue to shape outcomes.

The proportion of young people aged 15–29 classified as NEET declined from 16.1% in 2013 to 11.0% in 2025.

However, outcomes continue to vary across different groups.

In 2025:

• Non-European Union (EU) citizens are doubly as likely to be disengaged.
• National citizens recorded a NEET rate of 10.1%
• EU foreign citizens 13.8%
• Non-EU foreign citizens 20.6%

Differences also exist geographically.

A young person in Romania remains almost four times more likely to be disengaged than one in the Netherlands.

NEET rates ranged widely from 4.9% in the Netherlands to 19.4% in Romania.

Across settlement types, rural communities continue to lag:

• Cities: 10.3%
• Towns and suburbs: 11.0%
• Rural areas: 12.2%

Dataset: Young people neither in employment nor in education and training by sex

What the data shows: Although overall NEET rates have declined over time, variation remains across countries, citizenship groups and levels of urbanisation.

4. Education Levels Continue to Rise

The proportion of young people completing at least upper secondary education has increased steadily.

Between 2002 and 2023:

• Females increased from 79.7% to 86.7%
• Males increased from 73.9% to 81.6%

Throughout the period, educational attainment remained around five percentage points higher among young women than young men.

Data: Young people aged 20-24 with at least upper secondary educational attainment level by sex

What the data shows: The dataset indicates continuing growth in educational attainment, with women remaining consistently at five percentage points higher than men.

5. The Age of Leaving Home Varies Significantly Across Europe

Leaving home remains one of the clearest indicators of how economic and cultural conditions vary across Europe

In 2023, the average age at which young people left the parental home ranged from:

Compared with:

The EU average age for leaving home is 26.3 years.

Women leave home earlier than men across Europe

Across the EU, women left home earlier on average (25.4 years) than men (27.2 years).

What the data shows: The data highlights substantial variation between countries in the age at which young people leave the parental household.

Housing affordability, labour market conditions, income and cultural expectations all influence when young people achieve financial independence.

What Can We Learn From These Trends?

Looking across these indicators, several long-term trends emerge.

Compared with a decade ago:

• Young people represent a smaller share of Europe’s population.
• Youth unemployment and NEET rates are lower.
• Employment among 20–29 year olds has reached its highest recorded level.
• Educational attainment has continued to increase.
• Differences remain across countries, citizenship groups and settlement types.

Together, these datasets provide a broad statistical snapshot of how demographic, education and labour market indicators relating to young Europeans have changed over time. They offer useful context for organisations, researchers and policymakers seeking to better understand long-term social and economic trends.

Eurostat Population & Social Data

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