South Africa’s youth are facing tough times. With the latest  Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for Q1 2025 results showing a rise in unemployment in early 2025, more young people are finding themselves out of school, out of work, and without training opportunities. This group, often referred to as Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) youth, represents a growing concern for the country’s future.

This Spatial Insights combines data from the 2022 Census and the QLFS for Q1 2025 to estimate the number of NEET youth. The aim is not just to visualise the numbers but to make the issue visible, understandable, and actionable.

Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal have the highest number of NEET youth (Figure 1)

Figure 1: Estimated number of NEET youth (in thousands) by province (15–34), derived from Census 2022 and QLFS Q1:2025.

Figure 2 shows that at a provincial level, the gender inequalities in South Africa are quite marked, with females making up a higher share of NEET youth. Figure 3 highlights that NEET rates remain high for both male and female youth, with nearly half of young women and over 42% of young men aged 15–34 not in school, employed or receiving training. Trends like these point to far more than just systemic issues indicated by data that are only numerical. The information of which these data are only part of, tells us where to direct the urgent, intensive action that can close the opportunity gap for young people.

NEET youth by gender per province

Figure 2: Estimated number of NEET youth (in thousands) by gender and province, using Census 2022 and QLFS Q1:2025.

NEET youth aged 15–34 years by gender