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Over Half of Youth in Two Odisha Districts Are NEET
Confirmed
In Short: In contrast, Nabarangapur district in Odisha had the lowest share of youth not in employment, education, or training, with a NEET rate of just 4.1%.
The statistics ministry released district-level data on Friday, revealing that Anugul had the highest share of youth in the country at 56.1% who were not in employment, education, or training, referred to as 'NEET'.
Dhenkanal district followed closely with 45.3% of its youth classified as NEET.
The NEET rate among youth in India overall was 25% in 2025, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey.
The International Labour Organization defines a youth's NEET status as a more reliable indicator of vulnerability than unemployment, as the number of young NEETs is significantly higher than the number of unemployed youth.
The ministry's report covered around 600 districts in major states and union territories, sometimes clubbing adjoining districts into a single unit.
The situation is particularly concerning in states like Bihar, where 81% of districts have a NEET rate of more than 25%, followed by West Bengal at 75%, and Haryana and Andhra Pradesh at 70%.
OdishaBytes highlighted the gap in human capital utilization, noting that nearly half of the districts in Odisha have a NEET rate of 25% among youth.
The report also pointed out that high unemployment rates among youth are often linked to their participation in education or engagement with skilling or vocational programs.
However, NEET status specifically refers to those who are neither enrolled in any educational institution nor participating in the labor force.
What's confirmed
- The statistics ministry released district-level data on Friday, revealing that Anugul had the highest share of youth in the country at 56.1% who were not in employment, education, or training, referred to as 'NEET'.
- Dhenkanal district followed closely with 45.3% of its youth classified as NEET.
- The NEET rate among youth in India overall was 25% in 2025, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey.
- The International Labour Organization defines a youth's NEET status as a more reliable indicator of vulnerability than unemployment, as the number of young NEETs is significantly higher than the number of unemployed youth.
- The ministry's report covered around 600 districts in major states and union territories, sometimes clubbing adjoining districts into a single unit.
- The situation is particularly concerning in states like Bihar, where 81% of districts have a NEET rate of more than 25%, followed by West Bengal at 75%, and Haryana and Andhra Pradesh at 70%.
- OdishaBytes highlighted the gap in human capital utilization, noting that nearly half of the districts in Odisha have a NEET rate of 25% among youth.
- The report also pointed out that high unemployment rates among youth are often linked to their participation in education or engagement with skilling or vocational programs.
- However, NEET status specifically refers to those who are neither enrolled in any educational institution nor participating in the labor force.
What's still developing
- In some cases, it clubbed a few adjoining districts and treated them as a single unit.