Almost two million young Ghanaians are neither in education, employment nor training (NEET), raising fresh concerns about the country’s ability to harness its growing youthful population for economic growth and national development.
The alarming figures, released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) to mark World Population Day, show that about two million people aged 15 to 35, representing 19.5% of Ghana’s youth population, were classified as NEET as of the third quarter of 2025.
The data was published under the theme: “Investing in Ghana’s Future through Healthy, Skilled and Empowered Young People.”
According to the GSS, the findings underscore the urgent need for increased investment in education, skills development and job creation to ensure that Ghana’s young people are equipped to contribute meaningfully to national development.
The Service warned that the country’s youthful demographic presents both a significant opportunity and a major policy challenge.
Young people between the ages of 15 and 35 now account for 36.9% of Ghana’s estimated 33.7 million population, compared with 34.6 per cent in 2000, making the wellbeing and productivity of the youth increasingly critical to the country’s long-term economic prospects.
The report also highlighted the persistent challenge of youth unemployment.
According to data from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey covering the first three quarters of 2025, unemployment among people aged 15 to 35 averaged 21.9%, significantly higher than the national unemployment rate of 12.8%.
The GSS indicated that the combination of high unemployment and the growing number of young people outside education and training poses a serious threat to Ghana’s ability to fully benefit from its demographic dividend.
Beyond employment, the Service also raised concern about adolescent pregnancy, which it said continues to undermine educational attainment and future employment opportunities for many young women.
Citing findings from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, the GSS said 15% of girls aged 15 to 19 had ever been pregnant, while 11% had already given birth.
According to the Service, early pregnancy often interrupts schooling, limits opportunities for skills acquisition and reduces young women’s long-term participation in the labour market, thereby affecting their economic prospects.
To reverse the trend, the GSS called for stronger investment in technical and vocational education and training (TVET), improved school-to-work transition programmes, expanded support for youth entrepreneurship and greater investment in sectors capable of generating decent and sustainable jobs.
The Service stressed that Ghana’s ability to transform its youthful population into an engine of economic growth will depend on how effectively it invests in education, skills development and employment opportunities.
It said the country’s demographic advantage would only translate into accelerated development if young people are empowered with the knowledge, skills and opportunities needed to participate fully in the economy.
