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Spain falls below the European average for young people neither studying nor working for the first time
Spain has just crossed a symbolic threshold in the picture of its young people. The proportion of young people neither studying nor working fell in 2025 to 11.5%, a figure that for the first time is below the European Union average. The figure marks an important turn for a country which for years had one of the continent's highest rates of youth disconnection.
The improvement is explained above all by two movements heading in the same direction: lower youth unemployment and lower school-leaving. More young people continue their education, enter vocational or university courses and find a first job opportunity sooner. It does not mean the market is resolved, but the trend is beginning to move in the opposite direction from that of the last decade.
The change has an economic reading, but also a social one. A generation more connected to education or employment participates more in the life of its neighbourhoods, consumes culture, moves around the city and begins to build its own projects with somewhat more stability. For many families, it is already a real relief that their children are not trapped between precarious jobs, abandoned courses and a lack of prospects.
The fall in school-leaving has been one of the keys. Vocational Training has become more attractive, second-chance educational opportunities have grown, and many young people who previously left the system too early have found more practical pathways to remain connected to education.
A somewhat more dynamic labour market for people under 30 also helps, although with familiar shadows: temporary work, low wages and difficulties in becoming independent. Having a job or studying does not by itself guarantee independence, housing or stability, but it reduces the risk of being outside the education and employment circuit for years.
The figure puts Spain in a less unfavourable position within Europe, something unthinkable not so long ago. For years, the term “nini” functioned almost as a generation label loaded with stigma. Now the picture is more nuanced: fewer young people are disconnected, more paths are under way and society is beginning to see results after years of educational policies, employment recovery and family pressure not to abandon education.
The challenge remains to turn this improvement into lasting opportunities. Because the major change will not lie only in reducing the number, but in ensuring that these young people study, work and can build an adult life with real room to become independent, save and decide their future without always feeling in a provisional mode.