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 2021, at 43.1%. Lithuania had the lowest, at 5.1%. The median was 15.5% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 20.9%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest43.1Portugal

Lowest5.1Lithuania

Median15.527 EU countries

European Union (27)20.9History

All EU countries, 2021

%. 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	2021 (%)	Change on 2020
1	Portugal Series break	43.1	-2.5 pts
2	Italy Series break	37.3	-0.1 pts
3	Malta Series break	37.1	-3.4 pts
4	Spain Series break	36.6	-0.5 pts
5	Greece Series break	20.2	-1 pts
6	Luxembourg Series break	19.7	-1.8 pts
7	Netherlands Series break	19.4	+0.4 pts
8	Romania Series break	19	-0.6 pts
9	Belgium Series break	18.5	-1.7 pts
10	Denmark Series break	17.9	-0.6 pts
11	France Series break	17.8	-0.7 pts
12	Bulgaria Series break	16.3	-0.3 pts
13	Germany Series break	16	+1.7 pts
14	Cyprus Series break	15.5	-1.5 pts
15	Austria Series break	14.1	-0.2 pts
16	Hungary Series break	13.6	-0.8 pts
17	Croatia Series break	12.6	-0.9 pts
18	Ireland Series break	12.5	-2 pts
18	Sweden Series break	12.5	-1 pts
20	Finland Series break	11.1	+2.2 pts
21	Estonia Series break	10.5	-0.2 pts
22	Slovenia Series break	8.7	-1.1 pts
23	Latvia Series break	7.8	-0.5 pts
24	Poland Series break	6.7	0 pts
24	Slovakia Series break	6.7	-0.6 pts
26	Czechia Series break	5.6	-0.3 pts
27	Lithuania Series break	5.1	+0.5 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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_adults_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-countries?period=2021.
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 43.1% in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Lithuania, with 5.1% 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, 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.