Data / Rankings / Adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64 / Regions of Germany (NUTS 2)

Regions of Germany (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64

Arnsberg had the highest adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64 of 38 regions in 2016, at 19.4%. Chemnitz had the lowest, at 4%. The median was 13.7% and the figure for Germany was 13.5%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest19.4Arnsberg
Lowest4Chemnitz
Median13.738 regions
Germany13.5History

All regions, 2016

Arnsberg: 19.4 %Arnsberg19.4Düsseldorf: 18.9 %Düsseldorf18.9Bremen: 18.4 %Bremen18.4Rheinhessen-Pfalz: 17.6 %Rheinhessen-Pfalz17.6Köln: 17.3 %Köln17.3Koblenz: 16.9 %Koblenz16.9Detmold: 16.8 %Detmold16.8Münster: 15.9 %Münster15.9Darmstadt: 15.8 %Darmstadt15.8Saarland: 15.8 %Saarland15.8Hannover: 15.4 %Hannover15.4Weser-Ems: 15.1 %Weser-Ems15.1Karlsruhe: 14.6 %Karlsruhe14.6Stuttgart: 14.5 %Stuttgart14.5Braunschweig: 14.2 %Braunschweig14.2Hamburg: 14.2 %Hamburg14.2Mittelfranken: 14 %Mittelfranken14Berlin: 13.8 %Berlin13.8Trier: 13.8 %Trier13.8Freiburg: 13.6 %Freiburg13.6Gießen: 13.5 %Gießen13.5Oberpfalz: 13.5 %Oberpfalz13.5Lüneburg: 13.4 %Lüneburg13.4Schwaben: 13.3 %Schwaben13.3Tübingen: 13 %Tübingen13Unterfranken: 12.7 %Unterfranken12.7Schleswig-Holstein: 12.3 %Schleswig-Holstein12.3Oberfranken: 12 %Oberfranken12Niederbayern: 11.8 %Niederbayern11.8Kassel: 11.7 %Kassel11.7Oberbayern: 9.9 %Oberbayern9.9Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: 7.5 %Mecklenburg-Vorpommern7.5Sachsen-Anhalt: 6.9 %Sachsen-Anhalt6.9Brandenburg: 6.4 %Brandenburg6.4Leipzig: 5.1 %Leipzig5.1Thüringen: 4.9 %Thüringen4.9Dresden: 4.7 %Dresden4.7Chemnitz: 4 %Chemnitz4Arnsberg: 19.4 %Arnsberg19.4Düsseldorf: 18.9 %Düsseldorf18.9Bremen: 18.4 %Bremen18.4Rheinhessen-Pfalz: 17.6 %Rheinhessen-Pfalz17.6Köln: 17.3 %Köln17.3Koblenz: 16.9 %Koblenz16.9Detmold: 16.8 %Detmold16.8Münster: 15.9 %Münster15.9Darmstadt: 15.8 %Darmstadt15.8Saarland: 15.8 %Saarland15.8Hannover: 15.4 %Hannover15.4Weser-Ems: 15.1 %Weser-Ems15.1Karlsruhe: 14.6 %Karlsruhe14.6Stuttgart: 14.5 %Stuttgart14.5Braunschweig: 14.2 %Braunschweig14.2Hamburg: 14.2 %Hamburg14.2Mittelfranken: 14 %Mittelfranken14Berlin: 13.8 %Berlin13.8Trier: 13.8 %Trier13.8Freiburg: 13.6 %Freiburg13.6Gießen: 13.5 %Gießen13.5Oberpfalz: 13.5 %Oberpfalz13.5Lüneburg: 13.4 %Lüneburg13.4Schwaben: 13.3 %Schwaben13.3Tübingen: 13 %Tübingen13Unterfranken: 12.7 %Unterfranken12.7Schleswig-Holstein: 12.3 %Schleswig-Holstein12.3Oberfranken: 12 %Oberfranken12Niederbayern: 11.8 %Niederbayern11.8Kassel: 11.7 %Kassel11.7Oberbayern: 9.9 %Oberbayern9.9Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: 7.5 %Mecklenburg-Vorpommern7.5Sachsen-Anhalt: 6.9 %Sachsen-Anhalt6.9Brandenburg: 6.4 %Brandenburg6.4Leipzig: 5.1 %Leipzig5.1Thüringen: 4.9 %Thüringen4.9Dresden: 4.7 %Dresden4.7Chemnitz: 4 %Chemnitz4
%. 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

RankRegions2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Arnsberg19.4+1.4 pts
2Düsseldorf18.9+0.3 pts
3Bremen18.4-3 pts
4Rheinhessen-Pfalz17.6+1.8 pts
5Köln17.3-0.4 pts
6Koblenz16.9+1.5 pts
7Detmold16.8-0.3 pts
8Münster15.9-0.6 pts
9Darmstadt15.8+0.5 pts
9Saarland15.8-0.1 pts
11Hannover15.4+1.3 pts
12Weser-Ems15.1+0.5 pts
13Karlsruhe14.60 pts
14Stuttgart14.5+0.7 pts
15Braunschweig14.2+1 pts
15Hamburg14.2-0.5 pts
17Mittelfranken14+1.1 pts
18Berlin13.8-1.3 pts
18Trier13.8+0.8 pts
20Freiburg13.6-0.6 pts
21Gießen13.5-1 pts
21Oberpfalz13.5+0.9 pts
23Lüneburg13.4+0.5 pts
24Schwaben13.3+0.9 pts
25Tübingen13-0.2 pts
26Unterfranken12.7+1.2 pts
27Schleswig-Holstein12.3+0.6 pts
28Oberfranken12+0.1 pts
29Niederbayern11.8-0.2 pts
30Kassel11.7-0.3 pts
31Oberbayern9.9+0.5 pts
32Mecklenburg-Vorpommern7.5+0.3 pts
33Sachsen-Anhalt6.90 pts
34Brandenburg6.4-0.2 pts
35Leipzig5.1+0.1 pts
36Thüringen4.9+0.4 pts
37Dresden4.7+1.1 pts
38Chemnitz40 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. 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) (Regions of Germany (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2016) [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), Regions of Germany (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2016. 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/germany-regions?period=2016. 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). Regions of Germany (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2016. 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/germany-regions?period=2016.

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), Regions of Germany (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2016 [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/germany-regions?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_regions_of_germany_nuts_2016,
  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): Regions of Germany (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2016}},
  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/germany-regions?period=2016. 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): Regions of Germany (NUTS 2) by adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64, 2016
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/germany-regions?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/germany-regions?period=2016.
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?

Arnsberg, with 19.4% in 2016, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Chemnitz, with 4% in 2016.

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.

Adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64: other rankings

Regions of Germany (NUTS 2): more rankings