In 2025, 48.4 per cent of NEETs reported having a disability, compared to just 22.2 per cent in 2011, according to research by the Youth Futures Foundation. The rise is primarily due to mental health conditions, which nearly doubled from 24.3 per cent in 2011 to 42.6 per cent in 2025.
Government data highlights that young people aged 16 to 34 with mental health conditions are almost five times more likely to be economically inactive than their peers. The number of young people out of work due to long-term sickness increased from around 100,000 in 2013 to over 250,000 in 2025.
