Migrant integration statistics - socioeconomic situation of young people

Data extracted on 28 October 2024.

No planned article update.

Highlights

In 2023, 14.1% of young people (ages 15-29) in the EU were born outside their country of residence, and 11.9% were residing in another country other than their country of citizenship. Both figures followed an upward trend from 2014 to 2023.

In 2023, young non-EU citizens living in the EU were 3 times more likely to leave education and training early and twice as likely to be exposed to a risk of being neither in employment nor in education or training than young EU citizens living in their country of citizenship.

In 2023, young non-EU citizens living in the EU were twice as likely to be exposed to a risk of poverty or social exclusion than young EU citizens living in their country of citizenship (47.2% vs. 21.8%).

In 2023, the unemployment rate of young non-EU citizens living in the EU was 1.4 times higher than that of young EU citizens living in their country of citizenship (15.1% vs. 10.9%).

The article sheds light on the integration of young non-nationals and young foreign-born people through the analysis of socio-economic indicators in the areas of demography, employment, education and social inclusion. Integration of those two groups of youngsters is of utmost importance since they represent an increasing proportion of the young people residing in the EU, in particular within the context of an ageing EU population.

The article shows the main trends and features in terms of integration of young non-nationals and foreign-born people over the past 10 years. The data presented in this article come from the statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC) and EU labour force statistics (EU-LFS).

Note that the analysis in the text is made only for countries with reliable data, while the graphs present countries with both reliable data and data with limited reliability.

This article forms part of the online publication on migrant integration statistics.

Key findings

The educational, social and economic integration of migrants can frequently be a long and complex process. Challenges of integration also affect young non-nationals and young foreign-born people, who experience greater difficulties in the labour market and in education compared with their native counterparts. In the EU in 2023:

On 1 January, young non-nationals accounted for 11.9% of the EU population aged 15 to 29 years whereas young foreign-born people represented 14.1%. For both non-nationals and foreign-born, the share of young people followed an upward trend over the last decade.

Young non-nationals were early leavers from education and training more often than nationals. In the EU, less than one-tenth (8.2%) of young nationals were early leavers, while for young non-nationals, the share was more than twice as much: 22.8% for citizens of another EU country and 25.3% for non-EU citizens.

Non-nationals were also more exposed to a risk of being neither in employment nor in education or training. This was especially true for young non-EU citizens, 21.5% of whom were neither in employment nor in education or training, which was more than twice the rate of nationals (10.4%).

Young non-EU citizens were more likely to be unemployed, with around 15% unemployed compared with 11% among nationals.

The gender gap in education was favourable to young women. Regardless of citizenship, the proportion of tertiary educated women was higher than that of men, whereas the proportion of early leavers from education and training was lower among women than men.

Demographic trends

Two population groups are used in this article for analysing migrant integration: non-nationals (i.e. people without the citizenship of their country of residence) and foreign-born (people born outside their country of residence).

Figure 1 shows the development of the proportion of non-nationals and foreign-born aged 15-29 years in the resident population for this age group in the EU from 2014 to 2023. For both non-nationals and foreign-born, the share of young people followed an upward trend, with an increase over the whole period of 3.7 percentage points (pp) for young non-nationals and 3.8 pp for young foreign-born people. At the beginning of 2023, young non-nationals accounted for 11.9% of the population aged 15 to 29 years in the EU whereas young foreign-born people represented 14.1%.

Figure 1: Development of the share of young foreign-born people and young non-nationals in the total EU population aged 15 to 29 years, 2014-2023
(at 1 January, %)
Source: Eurostat (migr_pop1ctz) and (migr_pop3ctb)

When looking at Tables 1 and 2, the share of young non-nationals and young foreign-born people in 2023 varied greatly from one EU country to another. It ranged from 0.9% in Slovakia to 41.3% in Luxembourg for non-nationals and from 2.5% in Slovakia to 44.5% in Luxembourg for foreign-born people.

In absolute terms, the largest numbers of non-nationals and foreign-born people aged 15-29 living in the EU countries on 1 January 2023 were found in Germany, Spain, France and Italy.

Table 1: Non-national population aged 15 to 29 years by group of citizenship, 1 January 2023
Source: Eurostat (migr_pop1ctz)

Table 2: Foreign-born population aged 15 to 29 years by country of birth, 1 January 2023
Source: Eurostat (migr_pop3ctb)

Education

Education has the potential to increase employment opportunities and social inclusion for individuals, through the acquisition of basic skills and common values shared within society.

Early leavers from education and training

Early leavers from education and training are defined as people aged 18-24 years having attained at most lower secondary education and not involved in further education or training.

Figure 2 shows for the EU the development from 2014 to 2023 of the proportion of early leavers from education and training by citizenship and by country of birth.

Between 2014 and 2023, both the shares of early leavers from education and training among nationals and non-EU citizens as well as among native-born people and those born in non-EU countries decreased. Whereas the proportion increased for early leavers from education and training being citizens of other EU countries and those born in other EU countries.

Figure 2: Early leavers from education and training, people aged 18-24 years by citizenship and by country of birth, EU, 2014-2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfse_01) and (edat_lfse_02)

Figure 3 shows the share of early leavers from education and training by citizenship at the national level in 2023.

Figure 3: Early leavers from education and training among people aged 18-24 years by citizenship, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfse_01)

In the EU in 2023, the proportion of early leavers from education and training was higher among men than women across all citizenship groups (Figure 4). For nationals, 9.8% of young men and 6.5% of young women in the EU were early leavers from education and training. Among citizens of other EU countries, the share of early school leavers stood at 26.1% among men and 19.3% among women. Non-EU citizens followed the same pattern, with 28.2% of men being early leavers from education and training compared with 22.2% of women.

Figure 4: Early leavers from education and training among people aged 18-24 years by citizenship and sex, EU, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfse_01)

Young people aged 25 to 34 years with a tertiary education level

Figure 5 shows that the shares of young citizens of other EU countries and non-EU citizens aged 25 to 34 years with a tertiary education level were always lower than those of their native counterparts. The same pattern can be observed when looking at the alternative analysis by country of birth. Between 2014 and 2023 the share of young people aged 25 to 34 years with a tertiary education level increased regardless of the analysed population group. The largest increase was observed both for young non-EU citizens and non-EU-born people (11.3 pp each).

Figure 5: Share of young people aged 25 to 34 years with a tertiary education level (ISCED 5-8) by citizenship and by country of birth, EU, 2014-2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfs_9911) and (edat_lfs_9912)

In 2023, among the EU countries, the largest share of nationals aged 25 to 34 years with tertiary educational attainment was in Cyprus (71.7%) while the least was in Romania (22.4%) (Figure 6).

Among 15 EU countries with reliable data for citizens of other EU countries, Sweden at 71.8% had the largest share, while Italy had 15.3% as the least share.

Data for non-EU citizens are reliable for 22 EU countries, among which the largest share of young people with tertiary education was 82.2% in Ireland and 82.1% in Lithuania, while Greece had the least share at 9.5%.

Figure 6: Share of young people aged 25 to 34 years with a tertiary education level (ISCED 5-8) by citizenship, EU, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfs_9911)

In the EU in 2023, the proportion of women with tertiary education was higher than that of men across all citizenship groups (Figure 7). For nationals, 50.2% of young women and 38.4% of young men in the EU had tertiary educational attainment. Among citizens of other EU countries, the share of people with tertiary education stood at 43.5% among women and 33.7% among men. Non-EU citizens followed a similar pattern, with 38.9% of women having tertiary educational attainment compared with 32.2% of men.

Figure 7: Share of young people aged 25 to 34 years with a tertiary education level (ISCED 5-8) by citizenship and sex, EU, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfs_9911)

Employment and unemployment

Youth employment rate

Figure 8 shows that, at the EU level, the employment rate of young citizens of other EU countries aged 15 to 29 years was higher than that of young nationals and young non-EU citizens throughout the years. For all groups of citizenship, the trends followed a similar upward trajectory, with a drop in 2020, illustrating the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The similar pattern can be observed when analysing data by country of birth.

The gap between employment rates of young non-EU citizens and nationals decreased from 7.3 pp in 2014 to 0.5 pp in 2023. By contrast, the gap between young citizens of other EU countries and nationals widened from 8.1 pp in 2014 to 9.1 pp in 2023.

Figure 8: Employment rate of young people aged 15 to 29 years by citizenship and by country of birth, EU, 2014-2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (yth_empl_020) and Eurostat (lfsa_ergan)

In 2023, across the EU countries, the highest youth employment rates recorded for nationals aged 15 to 29 years were in the Netherlands (81.1%), Malta (67.1%) and Austria (66.2%) (Figure 9). The lowest rates were observed in Italy (34.0%), Greece (35.0%) and Romania (35.3%).

Among 21 EU countries with reliable data for non-EU citizens, the youth employment rates were the highest in Malta (77.0%), Poland (68.0%) and Cyprus (66.5%), while the lowest were in Greece (35.8%), Belgium (37.4%) and Italy (42.0%).

Data for EU citizens living in another EU country are reliable for 15 EU countries, among which the youth employment rates were the highest in Czechia (81.9%), Denmark (73.2%) and the Netherlands (71.4%). By contrast, the lowest rates were observed in Italy (38.6%), followed by Belgium (43.3%) and France (47.0%).

Figure 9: Employment rate of young people aged 15-29 years by citizenship, EU, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_ergan)

Figure 10 shows that the youth employment rates in the EU were lower for women than for men across all 3 population groups. However, the difference among sexes was the least for nationals (47.0% for women and 51.9% for men), while a more significant difference was observed for both citizens of other EU countries (54.0% vs 63.1%) and non-EU citizens (40.6% vs 56.9%).

Considering 5 year age groups within the 15-29 years, people aged 25-29 years had the highest employment rates among all young people, regardless of citizenship, whereas people aged 20-24 years had higher employment rates than those aged 15-19 years. This pattern reflects the progressive entrance of youngsters into the labour market after finishing their studies. For all the 3 considered age groups, the employment rate of non-EU citizens was lower than that of young nationals and young citizens of other EU countries with the gap widening as age increased.

Figure 10: Employment rate of young people aged 15-29 years by citizenship, sex and age groups, EU, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_ergan)

Temporary and part-time employment of young people

Temporary and part-time employment can be considered either as an opportunity for labour market participation or as a trap that leads to underemployment.

Figure 11a shows that, in 2023, the share of young employees (aged 15-29 years) in temporary employment was higher among non-EU citizens than among nationals and citizens of other EU countries. It also shows that the shares of young temporary employees were lower for men than for women among all 3 population groups.

Figure 11b reveals that also the share of young employees (aged 15-29 years) in part-time employment among non-EU citizens was higher than that of nationals and citizens of other EU countries. In 2023, the shares observed for women were significantly higher than the shares observed for men across all citizenship groups with the largest gender gap observed for citizens of other EU countries (18.1 pp).

Figure 11a: Temporary employees as percentage of the total employees, people aged 15-29 years by citizenship and sex, EU, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_etpgan)
Figure 11b: Part-time employment as percentage of total employment for young people aged 15-29 years by citizenship and sex, EU, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_eppgan)

Unemployment rate among young people

Labour market disadvantages for young people who are non-EU-born or non-EU citizens can also be visible when unemployment rates are analysed.

Figure 12 shows for the EU as a whole the development from 2014 to 2023 of unemployment rate by citizenship and by country of birth. The unemployment rate of young non-EU citizens and non-EU-born were consistently higher than those for young nationals and young native-born as well as young citizens of another EU country and young people born in another EU country.

For all the considered groups of citizenship and country of birth, the trends followed a similar downward trajectory. The impact in 2020 of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic can be noticed. The gap between the employment rate of young non-EU citizens and nationals decreased by 5.2 pp between 2014 and 2023, while the gap between the employment rate of young non-EU-born and young native-born dropped by 8.4 pp. Lastly, the gap between native-born and people born in other EU countries progressively disappeared during this time, whereas the gap between nationals and citizens of another EU country remained narrow.

Figure 12: Unemployment rate of young people aged 15 to 29 years by citizenship and by country of birth, EU, 2014-2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (yth_empl_100) and (lfsa_urgan)

Figure 13 shows the unemployment rate of young people aged 15-29 years by citizenship at the national level in 2023.

Figure 13: Unemployment rate of young people aged 15-29 years by citizenship, EU, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_urgan)

Figure 14 shows that the youth unemployment rates in the EU were higher for women than for men among the two foreign population groups aged 15 to 29 years, while to opposite was true for young nationals. The most significant gap among sexes of 3.2 pp was observed for non-EU citizens (17.0% vs 13.8%).

Figure 14 also compares unemployment rates for 5 year age groups among the 15-29 years by citizenship in 2023. People across the EU aged 15-19 years had the highest unemployment rates among all young people, irrespective of their citizenship, whereas those aged 20-24 years had higher unemployment rates than people aged 25-29 years, regardless of their citizenship. For all the 3 considered age groups, the unemployment rate of non-EU citizens was higher than that of nationals and citizens of other EU countries, with a particularly high rate of 31.4% observed for non-EU citizens aged 15-19 years.

Figure 14: Unemployment rate of young people aged 15-29 years by citizenship, sex and age groups, EU, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_urgan)

Social inclusion

Young people not in employment, education or training

The various groups shown in Figure 15 all recorded decreases in the proportion of young people who were not in employment, education or training between 2014 and 2023. The most significant decline was observed for young citizens of other EU countries, whose rate dropped from 20.4% in 2014 to 13.1% in 2023. Young nationals experienced a decrease of 4.5 pp, whereas for young non-EU citizens the proportion was 6.1 pp lower at the end of the period. The impact in 2020 of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is also evident, as the shares for all subpopulations increased that year to fall again over the subsequent 3 years.

Figure 15: Young people (aged 15-29 years) not in employment, education or training by citizenship and by country of birth, EU, 2014-2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfse_23) and (edat_lfse_28)

Figure 16 shows the share of young people aged 15-29 years not in employment, education or training by citizenship at the national level in 2023.

Figure 16: Young people (aged 15-29 years) not in employment, education or training by citizenship, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfse_23)

Figure 17 shows that the proportion of young people aged 15-29 years who were not in employment, education or training in the EU was higher for women than for men across all 3 population groups. However, the least difference among sexes was observed for nationals (11.1% for women and 9.6% for men), while a more significant difference was observed for both citizens of other EU countries (15.9% vs 10.3%) and non-EU citizens (28.1% vs 15.4%).

Figure 17: Young people (aged 15-29 years) not in employment, education or training by citizenship and sex, EU, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfse_23)

At-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate for young people

Figure 18 shows the development of risk of poverty or social exclusion for young people in the EU by country of birth and citizenship. Due to methodological adjustments in data collection, the time series begins in 2020 rather than in 2014. Furthermore, due to limited data availability for more detailed groups of citizenship and country of birth, two broader groups are used in the analysis: non-nationals and foreign-born.

The shares of young nationals and non-nationals and young native-born and foreign-born aged 16 to 29 years at risk of poverty or social exclusion declined between 2021 and 2023 following a very similar pattern. The gap between the rates of young non-nationals and nationals decreased from 22.8 pp in 2021 to 20.8 pp in 2023. Concerning the gap between young foreign-born and native-born people, it narrowed from 20.9 pp in 2021 to 19.8 pp in 2023.

Figure 18: At risk of poverty or social exclusion rate of young people (aged 16-29 years) by citizenship and by country of birth, EU, 2020-2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (ilc_peps05n) and (ilc_peps06n)

In 2023, among 20 EU countries with reliable data, the highest at risk of poverty or social exclusion rates for young non-nationals aged 16-29 years were recorded in Greece (58.3%), Germany (46.8%), Italy (46.1%) and Sweden (46.0%) (Figure 19). The lowest rates were observed in Poland (9.9%), Ireland (14.8%) and Slovenia (17.3%).

For nationals, the variation in the rates across countries was less pronounced, ranging from 8.9% in Malta to 31.0% in Romania.

Figure 19: At risk of poverty or social exclusion rate of young people (aged 16-29 years) by citizenship, 2023
(%)
Source: Eurostat (ilc_peps05n)

Source data for tables and graphs

Socioeconomic situation of migrants — young people: tables and figures

Data sources

Demographic indicators

The data presented in this article are drawn from Eurostat's population statistics that are collected on an annual basis and are supplied to Eurostat by the national statistical authorities of the EU and EFTA countries.

Socio-economic indicators

The main part of the article uses EU labour force statistics (EU-LFS) data and statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC) to examine the socioeconomic situation of young non-citizens and young foreign-born.

Labour force statistics

LFS provides estimates for the main labour market indicators, such as employment rate, unemployment rate, part-time and temporary employment rate, and other labour-related indicators, as well as important sociodemographic characteristics, such as sex, age, highest level of educational attainment, household characteristics and region of residence.

Note for Spain and France (labour-related indicators)

Spain and France have assessed the attachment to the job and included in employment those who, in their reference week, had an unknown duration of absence but expected to return to the same job once health measures allow it. For more information please refer to metadata for Employment and unemployment (Labour force survey) (point 15. Coherence and comparability).

Statistics on income and living conditions

EU-SILC is the main European source for information relating to income, living conditions and social inclusion such as the share of the population at risk of poverty or social exclusion or the share of population suffering from material deprivation.

Context

The indicators presented in this article are based on the Council conclusions on integration of 2010, the subsequent study Indicators of immigrant integration — a pilot study (2011) and the report Using EU indicators of immigrant integration (2013).

There is a strong link between integration and migration policies, since successful integration is often seen as a prerequisite for maximising the economic and social benefits of immigration for individuals as well as societies. EU legislation provides a common legal framework regarding the conditions of entry and stay and a common set of rights for certain categories of migrants. EU policy covers the fight against poverty and social exclusion among society's vulnerable groups with the goal of active social inclusion and in accordance with the integration of migrants.

The active inclusion strategy of the EU also includes ensuring a decent standard of living for young migrants in the labour market. EU countries are encouraged to design, promote and implement an integrated comprehensive strategy for the active inclusion of young people.

In November 2020, an Action plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027 (COM(2016) 377 final) was adopted with the purpose of fostering social cohesion and building inclusive societies for all. Inclusion for all is about ensuring that all policies are accessible to and work for everyone, including migrants and EU citizens with migrant background. This plan includes actions in 4 sectoral areas (education and training, employment and skills, health and housing) as well as actions supporting effective integration and inclusion in all sectoral areas at the EU, EU country and regional level, with a specific attention paid to young people.

In addition to the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion, young people are a priority for the European Union's social vision, and the COVID-19 crisis further highlighted the need to sustain young human capital.

Following the Council Resolution of 26 November 2018, the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 has been introduced with 11 European Youth Goals and among them quality employment is set as one of the objectives. It should create favourable conditions for young people to develop their skills, fulfil their potential, work, and actively participate in society. In this framework youth statistics are an essential tool to support evidence-based policy-making in the various domains covered by the strategy.

Focus on young people is also highlighted in the European Pillar of Social Rights, which sets out 20 key principles and rights essential for fair and well-functioning labour markets and social protection systems. Principle 4 ('Active support to employment') states that "young people have the right to continued education, apprenticeship, traineeship or a job offer of good standing within 4 months of becoming unemployed or leaving education".

In October 2020, all EU countries committed to the implementation of the reinforced Youth Guarantee in a Council Recommendation which steps up the comprehensive job support available to young people across the EU and makes it more targeted and inclusive.

Notes

Explore further

Database

Migrant integration (mii)

Children and youth (chldyth)

Thematic section

EU youth dashboard

Publications

Methodology

Population (national level) (ESMS metadata file — demo_pop_esms)
LFS series — Detailed annual survey results (ESMS metadata file — lfsa_esms)
Statistics on income and living conditions

External links