Nearly two million young people in Ghana are missing out on employment, education and skills training, raising concerns about the country’s ability to harness its growing youth population for economic development.
The latest figures from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) show that young people aged 15 to 35 who were not in employment, education or training (NEET) recorded an average rate of 17.9 per cent during the first three quarters of 2025.
Young women account for more than 60 per cent of the affected population, highlighting the gender imbalance in access to employment and educational opportunities.
Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, said the figures pointed to the need for targeted interventions to address the growing vulnerability of young people, particularly women.
“Close to two million young people are neither working nor in education or training, what we refer to as the NEET group, and more than six in ten of them are young women,” he said.
The findings, published in the GSS report Ghana in Numbers 2025, also reveal significant regional and geographical disparities in the proportion of young people outside the labour market and educational system.
The Central Region recorded the highest NEET rate of 25.3 per cent, suggesting that a considerably larger proportion of its young population faces difficulties accessing employment, education or training opportunities.
The situation was also more pronounced in urban communities, where the NEET rate stood at 20.6 per cent, compared with 18 per cent in rural areas.
The figures are particularly significant given that Ghana’s youth population is estimated at approximately 12 million in 2025, representing about one-third of the country’s total population.
Unlike conventional unemployment statistics, the NEET classification captures a broader group of young people who are neither employed nor acquiring formal education or vocational skills, potentially leaving them disconnected from economic opportunities.
The GSS said it would continue monitoring youth unemployment, NEET rates, informal employment and the relationship between educational qualifications and labour market demands in subsequent editions of Ghana in Numbers.
The data, it said, are expected to provide evidence to support policy formulation, improve planning and guide interventions aimed at expanding opportunities for young people.
