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 2018, at 50.2%. Lithuania had the lowest, at 5.2%. The median was 16.8% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 22.2%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest50.2Portugal

Lowest5.2Lithuania

Median16.827 EU countries

European Union (27)22.2History

All EU countries, 2018

%. 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	2018 (%)	Change on 2017
1	Portugal	50.2	-1.8 pts
2	Malta	45	-3 pts
3	Spain	39.9	-1 pts
4	Italy Series break	38.2	-0.9 pts
5	Greece	26.4	-0.7 pts
6	Belgium	21.8	-1.4 pts
7	Romania	21.5	-0.6 pts
8	Luxembourg	21.4	-2.2 pts
9	Netherlands	21	-0.6 pts
10	France	20.6	-1 pts
11	Denmark	18.9	-0.1 pts
12	Cyprus	17.8	-1.1 pts
13	Bulgaria	17.4	+0.2 pts
14	Ireland	16.8	-0.7 pts
15	Croatia	15.1	-1.3 pts
15	Hungary Series break	15.1	-0.9 pts
17	Austria	14.7	-0.3 pts
18	Sweden Series break	14.4	-0.3 pts
19	Germany	13.4	-0.1 pts
20	Estonia	12	+0.1 pts
21	Slovenia	11.9	-0.2 pts
22	Finland	10.8	-0.9 pts
23	Latvia	9.3	-0.3 pts
24	Slovakia	8.3	-0.3 pts
25	Poland	7.6	-0.3 pts
26	Czechia	6.1	-0.1 pts
27	Lithuania	5.2	0 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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

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, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_adults_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-countries?period=2018.
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}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=below_upper_secondary_share_25_64&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(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 50.2% in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Lithuania, with 5.2% in 2018.

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.