EU regions (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64

Região Autónoma dos Açores had the highest adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64 of 236 regions in 2017, at 66.8%. Sostinės regionas had the lowest, at 2.2%. The median was 18.9% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 22.8%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest66.8Região Autónoma dos Açores

Lowest2.2Sostinės regionas

Median18.9236 regions

European Union (27)22.8History

Top 40 regions, 2017

%. Source: Eurostat, Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Regions	2017 (%)	Change on 2016
1	Região Autónoma dos Açores	66.8	-1.2 pts
2	Região Autónoma da Madeira	60.7	-2.2 pts
3	Norte	58.1	-1.4 pts
4	Extremadura	56.9	-0.9 pts
5	Ceuta	53.8	+1.9 pts
6	Guyane	51.8	-2.1 pts
7	Puglia	50.7	-0.4 pts
8	Algarve	50.6	-2.2 pts
9	Andalusia	50.5	-0.3 pts
9	Castilla-La Mancha	50.5	-0.4 pts
11	Sicilia	50.1	-0.2 pts
12	Sardegna	49.5	-0.8 pts
13	Region of Murcia	48.3	-1.6 pts
14	Malta	48	-2.6 pts
15	Campania	47.2	-0.8 pts
16	Melilla	46.7	-3.5 pts
17	Calabria	45.6	-1.1 pts
18	Canary Islands	45.2	-0.9 pts
19	La Réunion	43.2	-0.8 pts
20	Galicia	42.7	-0.8 pts
20	Valencian Community	42.7	-0.6 pts
22	Balearic Islands	41.7	-0.6 pts
23	Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste	40.3	-1.5 pts
24	Castile and León	40.2	-1.7 pts
25	Guadeloupe	40	-2.2 pts
25	Molise	40	-1 pts
27	Anatoliki Makedonia, Thraki	39.9	-0.5 pts
28	Basilicata	39.5	-0.5 pts
29	Catalonia	39.2	-0.4 pts
30	Piemonte	38.7	-0.4 pts
31	Dytiki Elláda	38.6	-0.2 pts
31	La Rioja	38.6	-1.1 pts
33	Notio Aigaio	37.5	+0.5 pts
34	Ionia Nisia	37.3	-0.6 pts
35	Sterea Elláda	36.8	-1.8 pts
36	Aragon	36.3	0 pts
37	Veneto	36.1	-1.5 pts
38	Lombardia	35.9	-0.9 pts
39	Martinique	35.7	-1.5 pts
40	Marche	35.5	-0.9 pts
41	Abruzzo	35.2	-1.3 pts
41	Toscana	35.2	-1.1 pts
43	Liguria	35	-1.2 pts
44	Asturias	34.9	-0.8 pts
44	Dytiki Makedonia	34.9	-3.9 pts
46	Cantabria	34.3	-2.2 pts
47	Ipeiros	34.1	-0.9 pts
48	Emilia-Romagna	33	-0.6 pts
49	Peloponnisos	32.5	-2.4 pts
50	Friuli-Venezia Giulia	32.4	-1.1 pts
51	Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen	32.2	-0.6 pts
52	Navarre	32.1	0 pts
53	Umbria	32	-0.1 pts
54	Kriti	31.7	-0.7 pts
54	Voreio Aigaio	31.7	+1.2 pts
56	Prov. Hainaut Series break	30.9	-0.3 pts
57	Lazio	30.3	-0.6 pts
58	Picardie	30.2	+0.2 pts
59	Corse Low reliability	30	+7.2 pts
59	Nord-Est	30	-0.7 pts
59	Prov. Liège Series break	30	-0.1 pts
62	Thessalia	29.8	-2.4 pts
63	Provincia Autonoma di Trento	28.9	-1.9 pts
64	Basque Country	28.8	-0.7 pts
65	Kentriki Makedonia	27.7	-1.5 pts
66	Champagne-Ardenne	27.6	-2.8 pts
66	Sud-Est	27.6	-0.6 pts
68	Community of Madrid	27.1	-1.8 pts
68	Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/ Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Series break	27.1	-2 pts
70	Languedoc-Roussillon	26	-1.4 pts
70	Limburg (NL)	26	+0.2 pts
72	Haute-Normandie	25.9	-0.7 pts
73	Basse-Normandie	24.8	-1.1 pts
73	Nord-Pas de Calais	24.8	-0.1 pts
75	Panonska Hrvatska	24.5	+0.2 pts
76	Nord-Vest	24.4	-0.1 pts
77	Friesland (NL)	24	-0.5 pts
78	Zeeland	23.7	-2.6 pts
79	Drenthe	23.6	-1.2 pts
79	Luxembourg Low reliability	23.6	+2 pts
81	Noord-Brabant	23.5	-1.2 pts
82	Gelderland	23.2	-1 pts
83	Nordjylland Series break	23	+0.2 pts
84	Lorraine	22.8	+0.6 pts
85	Auvergne	22.6	+2.3 pts
85	Észak-Alföld	22.6	-1.5 pts
85	Severoiztochen	22.6	+0.4 pts
88	Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur	22.5	-0.4 pts
89	Prov. West-Vlaanderen Series break	22.4	-1 pts
90	Sjælland Series break	22.3	-1.3 pts
91	Flevoland	22.2	-2.5 pts
91	Prov. Antwerpen Series break	22.2	-1.7 pts
91	Prov. Limburg (BE) Series break	22.2	-2.9 pts
94	Bourgogne	22.1	-1.2 pts
94	Sjeverna Hrvatska	22.1	-1.1 pts
94	Sud-Muntenia	22.1	-1.7 pts
97	Prov. Namur Series break	22	-1.4 pts
98	Centre - Val de Loire	21.4	-0.4 pts
98	Overijssel	21.4	-1.6 pts
100	Syddanmark Series break	21.2	-2.3 pts
101	Dél-Dunántúl	21.1	-0.2 pts
101	Severen tsentralen	21.1	+0.7 pts
103	Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen Series break	21	-2.2 pts
103	Yuzhen tsentralen	21	-1.4 pts
105	Yugoiztochen	20.8	-1.6 pts
106	Groningen	20.6	-2.3 pts
107	Ile-de-France	20.5	+0.6 pts
108	Centru	20.4	-2.8 pts
109	Northern and Western Series break	20.3	-1.9 pts
110	Észak-Magyarország	20.2	-1 pts
110	Sud-Vest Oltenia	20.2	-0.6 pts
112	Aquitaine	20.1	+0.7 pts
112	Poitou-Charentes	20.1	-1.8 pts
112	Severozapaden	20.1	+0.5 pts
115	Franche-Comté	20	-1.5 pts
115	Prov. Luxembourg (BE) Series break	20	-4.9 pts
117	Alsace	19.7	+1.1 pts
118	Düsseldorf	18.9	0 pts
118	Kýpros	18.9	-1.6 pts
120	Midtjylland Series break	18.7	-0.6 pts
121	Arnsberg	18.6	-0.8 pts
122	Noord-Holland	18.4	-1.4 pts
122	Vorarlberg	18.4	-1.2 pts
124	Bremen	18.1	-0.3 pts
124	Southern Series break	18.1	-1.4 pts
124	Vest	18.1	-0.7 pts
127	Rhône-Alpes	17.3	-0.6 pts
128	Attiki	17.2	-0.8 pts
128	Pays de la Loire	17.2	-0.9 pts
128	Rheinhessen-Pfalz	17.2	-0.4 pts
131	Småland med öarna	17.1	-0.9 pts
132	Köln	17	-0.3 pts
132	Limousin	17	-1.9 pts
134	Norra Mellansverige	16.9	-0.1 pts
135	Koblenz	16.7	-0.2 pts
136	Åland Low reliability	16.5	-1.1 pts
136	Dél-Alföld	16.5	-0.6 pts
138	Detmold	16.4	-0.4 pts
139	Midi-Pyrénées	16.3	-0.8 pts
140	Közép-Dunántúl	16.2	-1.2 pts
140	Wien	16.2	-0.7 pts
142	Eastern and Midland Series break	16.1	-0.7 pts
143	Münster	15.9	0 pts
144	Darmstadt	15.8	0 pts
145	Hamburg	15.7	+1.5 pts
145	Hannover	15.7	+0.3 pts
145	Oberösterreich	15.7	0 pts
145	Tirol	15.7	-2.2 pts
149	Östra Mellansverige	15.6	-0.6 pts
150	Hovedstaden Series break	15.3	+0.2 pts
150	Saarland	15.3	-0.5 pts
152	Karlsruhe	15.1	+0.5 pts
153	Bretagne	14.9	-1.1 pts
153	Västsverige	14.9	-0.6 pts
153	Weser-Ems	14.9	-0.2 pts
156	Burgenland	14.8	-1.7 pts
156	Warmińsko-mazurskie	14.8	-1.2 pts
158	Mellersta Norrland	14.5	-1 pts
159	Freiburg	14.4	+0.8 pts
159	Sydsverige	14.4	-0.3 pts
161	Mittelfranken	14.3	+0.3 pts
161	Prov. Vlaams-Brabant Series break	14.3	-2.4 pts
161	Steiermark	14.3	+0.3 pts
164	Niederösterreich	14.2	-0.5 pts
164	Nyugat-Dunántúl	14.2	-0.6 pts
166	Braunschweig	14	-0.2 pts
167	Gießen	13.9	+0.4 pts
167	Stuttgart	13.9	-0.6 pts
169	Lüneburg	13.8	+0.4 pts
170	Berlin	13.7	-0.1 pts
170	Salzburg	13.7	-0.1 pts
172	Vzhodna Slovenija	13.5	-0.4 pts
173	Prov. Brabant wallon Series break	13.3	-3 pts
174	Kassel	13.2	+1.5 pts
174	Pest	13.2	+0.5 pts
176	Stockholm	13.1	+0.4 pts
177	Schwaben	13	-0.3 pts
177	Tübingen	13	0 pts
179	Oberpfalz	12.8	-0.7 pts
180	Etelä-Suomi	12.7	-0.2 pts
180	Övre Norrland	12.7	+1 pts
182	Schleswig-Holstein	12.6	+0.3 pts
182	Severozápad	12.6	-0.4 pts
184	Trier	12.5	-1.3 pts
185	Helsinki-Uusimaa	12	+0.3 pts
186	Eesti	11.9	+0.5 pts
186	Oberfranken	11.9	-0.1 pts
188	Unterfranken	11.7	-1 pts
189	Jadranska Hrvatska	11.6	-1 pts
189	Kärnten	11.6	+1 pts
189	Východné Slovensko	11.6	+0.7 pts
192	Niederbayern	11.4	-0.4 pts
193	Pohjois- ja Itä-Suomi	11.1	-0.5 pts
194	Bucureşti-Ilfov	10.9	-2.1 pts
194	Zachodniopomorskie	10.9	-1.4 pts
196	Länsi-Suomi	10.7	-0.8 pts
197	Zahodna Slovenija	10.4	-0.9 pts
198	Podlaskie	10.2	-0.6 pts
199	Mazowiecki regionalny	10.1	-1 pts
200	Łódzkie	9.7	+0.3 pts
201	Latvija	9.6	+0.3 pts
202	Lubelskie	9.4	-0.3 pts
202	Oberbayern	9.4	-0.5 pts
204	Świętokrzyskie	9.3	-0.9 pts
205	Kujawsko-pomorskie	9.2	-0.7 pts
206	Stredné Slovensko	9.1	-0.1 pts
207	Lubuskie	8.9	-0.8 pts
208	Pomorskie	8.2	-0.7 pts
209	Yugozapaden	8.1	-0.8 pts
210	Sachsen-Anhalt	7.9	+1 pts
211	Brandenburg	7.8	+1.4 pts
211	Budapest	7.8	-0.6 pts
213	Opolskie	7.7	-0.6 pts
214	Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	7.5	0 pts
215	Grad Zagreb	7.4	-2.8 pts
215	Západné Slovensko	7.4	+0.9 pts
217	Dolnośląskie	7.3	-1.4 pts
218	Severovýchod	7.1	-0.1 pts
219	Wielkopolskie	6.9	-1.4 pts
220	Podkarpackie	6.6	-0.6 pts
221	Moravskoslezsko	6.5	-1.7 pts
222	Střední Morava	6.4	+0.3 pts
222	Vidurio ir vakarų Lietuvos regionas	6.4	-0.1 pts
224	Małopolskie	6.3	-1.2 pts
225	Jihozápad	6	-0.6 pts
226	Śląskie	5.7	-0.4 pts
227	Leipzig	5.6	+0.5 pts
228	Jihovýchod	5.1	+0.5 pts
229	Dresden	5	+0.3 pts
230	Střední Čechy	4.8	-0.9 pts
231	Chemnitz	4.4	+0.4 pts
232	Thüringen	4.3	-0.6 pts
233	Bratislavský kraj	3.8	-0.5 pts
234	Warszawski stołeczny	3.1	-0.6 pts
235	Praha	2.4	-0.4 pts
236	Sostinės regionas	2.2	-0.3 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 regions are compared on one definition. 8 regions with data in other periods have no value for 2017 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/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 and NUTS 2 region, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04) (EU regions (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table

MLA 9

Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04), EU regions (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2017. Eurostat, European Commission, 10 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-regions?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04). EU regions (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-regions?period=2017.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04), EU regions (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-regions?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_regions_nuts_2_2017,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat\_lfse\_04): EU regions (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-regions?period=2017. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat\_lfse\_04). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat\_lfse\_04/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04): EU regions (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/10
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-regions?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/eu-regions?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

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

Região Autónoma dos Açores, with 66.8% in 2017, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Sostinės regionas, with 2.2% in 2017.

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 and NUTS 2 region, less than primary, primary and lower secondary education (levels 0 to 2), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 8 regions have no value for 2017 and are not ranked.