Irrespective of the fact that the NEET rate has dropped over the recent years, during the COVID-19 pandemic (in 2021), along with the national restrictions to reduce the spread of the virus and higher unemployment, it rose slightly. The NEET rate grew from 7.1 % in 2020 to 8.6 % in 2021.
At the beginning of 2021, only 1.3 % of inhabitants of Latvia aged 25 and over did not have compulsory basic education, namely had not completed nine years in school. Although basic education is mandatory in Latvia, among Roma1 (one of the groups at risk of social inclusion) it was not completed by 33.7 %. In the age group 15–24 years, 14.5 % of Latvian youngsters did not have basic education or were still acquiring it, while among young Roma those were 48.3 %.
The new statistical website section Social inclusion (currently available in Latvian only) summarizes information on 12 groups of Latvian society that are at risk of social exclusion2, including on persons with disabilities, persons in need, unemployed persons, ethnic minority – Roma, people at pre-retirement and retirement age, etc.
