Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex in South America

South America: Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex was 19.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
19.6%
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
19th
of 39 groups
All-time high
24.6%
in 2020
All-time low
18.9%
in 2010
Years of data
21
2005–2025

Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex in South America, 2005–2025

05101520252005201520252005: 20.82006: 20.32007: 19.92008: 19.42009: 19.42010: 18.92011: 192012: 19.42013: 19.82014: 19.92015: 20.82016: 21.42017: 22.12018: 222019: 21.82020: 24.62021: 22.12022: 20.42023: 20.22024: 19.62025: 19.6

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

South America recorded 19.6% for proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex in 2025.

That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex in South America peaked at 24.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 18.9%, in 2010.

South America ranks 19th of 39 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.

Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex in South America, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex and age - 13th ICLS (%) in South America, 2005 to 2025.
Year Value Change
2005 20.8%
2006 20.3% -2.6%
2007 19.9% -1.6%
2008 19.4% -3.0%
2009 19.4% +0.3%
2010 18.9% -2.4%
2011 19.0% +0.4%
2012 19.4% +2.3%
2013 19.8% +1.9%
2014 19.9% +0.5%
2015 20.8% +4.4%
2016 21.4% +3.0%
2017 22.1% +2.9%
2018 22.0% -0.2%
2019 21.8% -1.0%
2020 24.6% +12.7%
2021 22.1% -10.1%
2022 20.4% -7.5%
2023 20.2% -1.2%
2024 19.6% -2.9%
2025 19.6% +0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 20.0% 19.4% 20.8% 5
2010s 20.5% 18.9% 22.1% 10
2020s 21.1% 19.6% 24.6% 6

Countries ranked near South America

  1. 16 Caribbean 20.5% compare
  2. 16 State of Palestine 26.7% compare
  3. 17 Zambia 26.7% compare
  4. 18 Melanesia 26.1% compare
  5. 19 Rwanda 25.9% compare
  6. 20 Polynesia 25.8% compare
  7. 21 Dominican Republic 25.7% compare
  8. 22 Belize 24.9% compare

See the full ranking of 168 places →

More education data for South America

All data for South America →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex in South America?
Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex in South America was 19.6% in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex recorded in South America?
The highest recorded value was 24.6% in 2020.
What is the lowest proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex recorded in South America?
The lowest recorded value was 18.9% in 2010.
How does South America rank for proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex?
South America ranks 19th out of 39 groups with data for 2025.
Is proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex rising or falling in South America?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South America data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex and age - 13th ICLS (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex in South America. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-youth-not-in-education-employment-or-training-by-sex-and-age-13th-icls/south-america/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://education.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-youth-not-in-education-employment-or-training-by-sex-and-age-13th-icls/south-america/">Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex in South America</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex and age - 13th ICLS (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
168 places, 2,977 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed