Over one-third of young Bulgarians work, 14% neither study nor work

Bulgaria has 897,968 young people aged 15–29, representing 14% of the country’s total population. One-third of them are employed, according to 2025 data from the National Statistical Institute, released on the occasion of International Youth Day, marked on August 12. The youth employment rate stands at 34.3%.

The share of young people in Bulgaria who are neither in education nor in employment remains high compared with other EU countries, according to the latest Eurostat data. In 2025, Bulgaria was among the three EU countries with the highest share of people aged 15–29 who were neither studying nor working, at 13.8%. Romania recorded the highest NEET rate (young people aged 15-29 neither in employment, not in education or training) of 19.2%, followed by Greece with 13.6%. The Netherlands had the lowest share of young people who were neither in education nor employment - 5.3%.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov