The number of young people in Cyprus who are neither studying nor working has fallen by nearly eight percentage points over the past decade, reaching 10.6 per cent in 2026.

This compares with 18.5 per cent in 2015 and places Cyprus close to the European Union average of 11 per cent.

Across the EU, the rate among young people varied significantly by age group. Among those aged 15 to 19, 5.3 per cent were neither employed nor in education or training. For those aged 20 to 24, the figure almost doubled to 12.8 per cent.

The highest rate was recorded among young people aged up to 29, reaching 14.7 per cent.

The highest overall rates in the EU were recorded in Romania at 19.2 per cent, followed by Bulgaria at 13.8 per cent and Greece at 13.6 per cent.

Greece also recorded one of the largest declines over the past decade, with the rate falling from 24.1 per cent to 13.6 per cent.

Meanwhile, Slovenia recorded a rate of 7.6 per cent, Sweden 5.9 per cent and the Netherlands 5.3 per cent, the lowest shares of young people without work or education in the EU.

Over the past ten years, the proportion of young people classified as NEETs – neither in employment, education nor training – has decreased in 22 of the EU’s 27 member states.