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

Portugal had the highest adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64 of 27 EU countries in 2014, at 56.8%. Lithuania had the lowest, at 6.7%. The median was 18% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 24.5%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest56.8Portugal

Lowest6.7Lithuania

Median1827 EU countries

European Union (27)24.5History

Map of EU countries, 2014

Under 12
12 to 17
17 to 21
21 to 27
27 and over

%, 2014. 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). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2014

%. 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	2014 (%)	Change on 2013
1	Portugal Series break	56.8	-3.4 pts
2	Malta Series break	55.4	-3.1 pts
3	Spain Series break	43.4	-1.1 pts
4	Italy Series break	40.7	-1.1 pts
5	Greece Series break	31.6	-1.2 pts
6	Romania Series break	27.2	+2.9 pts
7	Belgium Series break	26.4	-0.8 pts
8	Netherlands Series break	24.1	-0.1 pts
9	France Series break	23.3	-1.7 pts
10	Cyprus Series break	22.4	+0.9 pts
11	Denmark Series break	21.1	-1 pts
12	Ireland Series break	19.7	-3.2 pts
13	Bulgaria Series break	18.9	+0.7 pts
14	Luxembourg Series break	18	-1.5 pts
15	Croatia Series break	17.2	-1 pts
16	Hungary Series break	16.9	-0.6 pts
17	Sweden Series break	16.3	-0.5 pts
18	Austria Series break	16.1	-0.9 pts
19	Slovenia Series break	14.3	-0.2 pts
20	Finland Series break	13.5	-0.6 pts
21	Germany Series break	13.1	-0.2 pts
22	Estonia Series break	11.8	+2.4 pts
23	Latvia Series break	10.5	-0.1 pts
24	Poland Series break	9.5	-0.4 pts
25	Slovakia Series break	9	+0.9 pts
26	Czechia Series break	6.8	-0.4 pts
27	Lithuania Series break	6.7	+0.1 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.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Population by educational attainment level, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03) (EU countries by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table

MLA 9

Population by educational attainment level, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03), EU countries by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2014. Eurostat, European Commission, 10 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-countries?period=2014. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Population by educational attainment level, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03). EU countries by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-countries?period=2014.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Population by educational attainment level, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03), EU countries by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-countries?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_adults_2014,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Population by educational attainment level, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat\_lfse\_03): EU countries by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2014}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-countries?period=2014. Publisher attribution: 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.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Population by educational attainment level, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03): EU countries by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2014
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/10
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-countries?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-countries?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: 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.
ER  -

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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 56.8% in 2014, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Lithuania, with 6.7% in 2014.

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.