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20.11.22

. Two-fifths of EU population with tertiary education

In 2021, just over two-fifths (41.2%) of the EU population aged 25–34 years had a tertiary level of educational attainment (ISCED levels 5–8). Of the 240 NUTS level 2 regions for which data are available, there were 72 regions that had already reached or surpassed the EU policy target of at least 45.0% of 25-34-year-olds attaining tertiary education by 2030. By contrast, the share of people aged 25–34 years with a tertiary level of educational attainment was less than the 45.0% target in more than two-thirds of all EU regions.

At the top end of the distribution, there were 22 regions in the EU where at least 55.0% of young people aged 25–34 years had a tertiary level of educational attainment in 2021. They included the capital regions of Lithuania, France, Poland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden, Czechia, Cyprus, Spain and Belgium.

Relatively high shares of tertiary educational attainment were also recorded in several regions specialised in research and innovation activities and/or high-technology manufacturing, for example, Utrecht in the Netherlands, País Vasco in northern Spain, Southern in Ireland and Prov. Brabant Wallon in Belgium.

At the bottom end of the distribution, there were 22 regions in the EU where less than a quarter of all people aged 25–34 years had a tertiary level of educational attainment in 2021. These regions were principally concentrated in eastern EU Member States, as well as several predominantly southern regions of Italy, but also included the outermost regions of Guyane (France) and Região Autónoma dos Açores (Portugal) among others. Many were characterised as rural regions that had a relatively large agricultural sector, with a low level of supply of highly-skilled employment opportunities. Others were characterised by their relatively high specialisation in vocational educational programmes, with students moving into the labour market through apprenticeships and training schemes rather than as a result of obtaining academic qualifications.

The lowest regional levels of tertiary educational attainment among people aged 25–34 years were recorded in three Romanian regions: Centru (17.5%), Sud-Est (15.9%) and Sud-Muntenia (15.3%).

This article has been published on the occasion of the European Year of Youth 2022 (https://youth.europa.eu/year-of-youth_en)

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