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 2020, at 45.6%. Lithuania had the lowest, at 4.6%. The median was 14.5% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 21%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest45.6Portugal

Lowest4.6Lithuania

Median14.527 EU countries

European Union (27)21History

All EU countries, 2020

%. 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	2020 (%)	Change on 2019
1	Portugal	45.6	-2.1 pts
2	Malta	40.5	-1.6 pts
3	Italy	37.4	-0.3 pts
4	Spain	37.1	-1.6 pts
5	Luxembourg	21.5	+0.8 pts
6	Greece	21.2	-2 pts
7	Belgium	20.2	-1.1 pts
8	Romania	19.6	-1.4 pts
9	Netherlands	19	-1.4 pts
10	Denmark	18.5	+0.1 pts
10	France	18.5	-1 pts
12	Cyprus	17	-0.7 pts
13	Bulgaria	16.6	-0.8 pts
14	Ireland	14.5	-1.8 pts
15	Hungary	14.4	-0.7 pts
16	Austria	14.3	-0.1 pts
16	Germany Series break	14.3	+0.9 pts
18	Croatia	13.5	-0.9 pts
18	Sweden	13.5	-0.4 pts
20	Estonia	10.7	-0.3 pts
21	Slovenia	9.8	-1.4 pts
22	Finland	8.9	-1 pts
23	Latvia	8.3	-0.5 pts
24	Slovakia	7.3	-1.3 pts
25	Poland	6.7	-0.6 pts
26	Czechia	5.9	-0.3 pts
27	Lithuania	4.6	-0.4 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.

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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_adults_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-countries?period=2020.
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 45.6% in 2020, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Lithuania, with 4.6% in 2020.

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.