8.7 Crore Indian youth not in education, employment or training: NITI Aayog

New Delhi: Around 8.7 crore Indians aged between 15 and 29 years are neither studying, working nor undergoing any form of training, according to a recent NITI Aayog report.

Titled Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047, the report draws on data from the 78th round of the National Sample Survey conducted in 2021.

It divides young people in the 15-29 age group into five categories, including those in school, tertiary education, formal employment, informal work and those classified as not in education, employment or training (NEET). Women are analysed separately, The Wire reported.

The report argues that young people already in the workforce and those classified as NEET require greater access to mid-career reskilling, self-employment opportunities and training programmes tailored to local economic needs and emerging sectors.

The findings come amid continuing concerns over youth employment. The State of Working India 2026, released by Azim Premji University in March, estimated that nearly 40% of people aged 15-25 were unemployed. It also found that only about 7% of graduates secured permanent salaried employment within a year of graduation.

The NITI Aayog findings have emerged shortly after youth-led protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over alleged paper leaks in the NEET examination. The agitation reportedly grew into a wider campaign against systemic problems in the education sector and was followed by the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his 13th Independence Day address, warned against what he described as “dimagi Naxals” or “intellectual Naxals”. While announcing initiatives such as coaching support for competitive examinations and AI training for young people, he did not directly refer to the recent youth protests.