EU countries by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2025

Portugal had the highest adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64 of 27 EU countries in 2025, at 35.7%. Lithuania had the lowest, at 4.2%. The median was 13.1% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 18.8%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest35.7Portugal

Lowest4.2Lithuania

Median13.127 EU countries

European Union (27)18.8History

All EU countries, 2025

%. Source: Eurostat, Population by educational attainment level, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	EU countries	2025 (%)	Change on 2024
1	Portugal	35.7	-2.8 pts
2	Spain	34.6	-0.5 pts
3	Italy	33	-0.3 pts
4	Malta	30.1	+0.1 pts
5	Romania	19.8	0 pts
6	Netherlands	18.4	-0.8 pts
7	Greece	18	+0.1 pts
8	Luxembourg	16.7	-0.9 pts
9	Denmark	15.9	-0.5 pts
10	France	15.3	-0.9 pts
11	Belgium	15.1	-2.1 pts
12	Germany	14.2	-2.1 pts
13	Austria	13.2	-0.6 pts
14	Cyprus	13.1	-0.8 pts
15	Bulgaria	13	-0.1 pts
16	Hungary	11.9	0 pts
17	Finland	11	-0.1 pts
17	Sweden	11	-0.3 pts
19	Slovenia	10.7	-0.3 pts
20	Estonia	10.4	-0.8 pts
21	Croatia	9.4	-0.3 pts
21	Ireland	9.4	-1.2 pts
23	Latvia	8.7	-0.4 pts
24	Slovakia	6	-0.1 pts
25	Czechia	5.6	-0.1 pts
26	Poland	5.1	-0.1 pts
27	Lithuania	4.2	-1.4 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 25 to 64 whose highest completed level of education is lower secondary at most (ISCED 2011 levels 0 to 2: less than primary, primary and lower secondary), as a percentage of all people aged 25 to 64 living in private households (EU Labour Force Survey).

Upper secondary is the level reached at about 18, such as the Spanish bachillerato or a vocational qualification of the same level.

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. Population by educational attainment level, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Use this data in your AI agent

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Rank EU countries by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64 using official data, and cite the source.

rank_places {"indicator":"below_upper_secondary_share_25_64","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64?

Portugal, with 35.7% in 2025, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64?

Lithuania, with 4.2% in 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Population by educational attainment level, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.