EU countries by adult participation in education and training, ages 25 to 64

Sweden had the highest adult participation in education and training, ages 25 to 64 of 27 EU countries in 2021, at 34.7%. Bulgaria had the lowest, at 1.7%. The median was 10.2% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 10.9%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest34.7Sweden

Lowest1.7Bulgaria

Median10.227 EU countries

European Union (27)10.9History

All EU countries, 2021

%. Source: Eurostat, Participation rate in education and training in the last 4 weeks, 25 to 64 years (trng_lfse_01). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	EU countries	2021 (%)	Change on 2020
1	Sweden Series break	34.7	+6.1 pts
2	Finland Series break	30.5	+3.2 pts
3	Netherlands Series break	26.6	+7.8 pts
4	Denmark Series break	22.4	+2.4 pts
5	Slovenia Series break	18.9	+10.5 pts
6	Estonia Series break	18.4	+1.8 pts
7	Luxembourg Series break	17.9	+1.6 pts
8	Austria Series break	14.6	+2.9 pts
9	Spain Series break	14.3	+3.3 pts
10	Malta Series break	13.8	+3 pts
11	Ireland Series break	13.6	+2.6 pts
12	Portugal Series break	12.5	+2.6 pts
13	France Series break	11	-2 pts
14	Belgium Series break	10.2	+2.8 pts
15	Italy Series break	9.9	+2.8 pts
16	Cyprus Series break	9.7	+5.1 pts
17	Latvia Series break	8.6	+2 pts
18	Lithuania Series break	8.5	+1.3 pts
19	Germany Series break	7.7	0 pts
20	Hungary Series break	5.9	+0.9 pts
21	Czechia Series break	5.8	+0.3 pts
22	Poland Series break	5.6	+1.8 pts
23	Croatia Series break	5.3	+2.1 pts
24	Romania Series break	4.9	+3.9 pts
25	Slovakia Series break	4.8	+2 pts
26	Greece Series break	3.5	-0.6 pts
27	Bulgaria Series break	1.7	+0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 25 to 64 who took part in formal or non-formal education or training in the four weeks before the survey, as a percentage of all people aged 25 to 64 (EU Labour Force Survey).

The four-week window gives much lower rates than the twelve-month measure of the Adult Education Survey, which the EU uses for its 2030 adult learning target.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Participation rate in education and training in the last 4 weeks, 25 to 64 years (trng_lfse_01). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/trng_lfse_01/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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Rank EU countries by adult participation in education and training, ages 25 to 64 using official data, and cite the source.

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Questions

Which EU country has the highest adult participation in education and training, ages 25 to 64?

Sweden, with 34.7% in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest adult participation in education and training, ages 25 to 64?

Bulgaria, with 1.7% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Participation rate in education and training in the last 4 weeks, 25 to 64 years (trng_lfse_01). Retrieved 2026-10-12.