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

Düsseldorf had the highest adults without upper secondary education, ages 25 to 64 of 38 regions in 2017, at 18.9%. Thüringen had the lowest, at 4.3%. The median was 13.9% and the figure for Germany was 13.5%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest18.9Düsseldorf
Lowest4.3Thüringen
Median13.938 regions
Germany13.5History

All regions, 2017

Düsseldorf: 18.9 %Düsseldorf18.9Arnsberg: 18.6 %Arnsberg18.6Bremen: 18.1 %Bremen18.1Rheinhessen-Pfalz: 17.2 %Rheinhessen-Pfalz17.2Köln: 17 %Köln17Koblenz: 16.7 %Koblenz16.7Detmold: 16.4 %Detmold16.4Münster: 15.9 %Münster15.9Darmstadt: 15.8 %Darmstadt15.8Hamburg: 15.7 %Hamburg15.7Hannover: 15.7 %Hannover15.7Saarland: 15.3 %Saarland15.3Karlsruhe: 15.1 %Karlsruhe15.1Weser-Ems: 14.9 %Weser-Ems14.9Freiburg: 14.4 %Freiburg14.4Mittelfranken: 14.3 %Mittelfranken14.3Braunschweig: 14 %Braunschweig14Gießen: 13.9 %Gießen13.9Stuttgart: 13.9 %Stuttgart13.9Lüneburg: 13.8 %Lüneburg13.8Berlin: 13.7 %Berlin13.7Kassel: 13.2 %Kassel13.2Schwaben: 13 %Schwaben13Tübingen: 13 %Tübingen13Oberpfalz: 12.8 %Oberpfalz12.8Schleswig-Holstein: 12.6 %Schleswig-Holstein12.6Trier: 12.5 %Trier12.5Oberfranken: 11.9 %Oberfranken11.9Unterfranken: 11.7 %Unterfranken11.7Niederbayern: 11.4 %Niederbayern11.4Oberbayern: 9.4 %Oberbayern9.4Sachsen-Anhalt: 7.9 %Sachsen-Anhalt7.9Brandenburg: 7.8 %Brandenburg7.8Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: 7.5 %Mecklenburg-Vorpommern7.5Leipzig: 5.6 %Leipzig5.6Dresden: 5 %Dresden5Chemnitz: 4.4 %Chemnitz4.4Thüringen: 4.3 %Thüringen4.3
%. 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

RankRegions2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Düsseldorf18.90 pts
2Arnsberg18.6-0.8 pts
3Bremen18.1-0.3 pts
4Rheinhessen-Pfalz17.2-0.4 pts
5Köln17-0.3 pts
6Koblenz16.7-0.2 pts
7Detmold16.4-0.4 pts
8Münster15.90 pts
9Darmstadt15.80 pts
10Hamburg15.7+1.5 pts
10Hannover15.7+0.3 pts
12Saarland15.3-0.5 pts
13Karlsruhe15.1+0.5 pts
14Weser-Ems14.9-0.2 pts
15Freiburg14.4+0.8 pts
16Mittelfranken14.3+0.3 pts
17Braunschweig14-0.2 pts
18Gießen13.9+0.4 pts
18Stuttgart13.9-0.6 pts
20Lüneburg13.8+0.4 pts
21Berlin13.7-0.1 pts
22Kassel13.2+1.5 pts
23Schwaben13-0.3 pts
23Tübingen130 pts
25Oberpfalz12.8-0.7 pts
26Schleswig-Holstein12.6+0.3 pts
27Trier12.5-1.3 pts
28Oberfranken11.9-0.1 pts
29Unterfranken11.7-1 pts
30Niederbayern11.4-0.4 pts
31Oberbayern9.4-0.5 pts
32Sachsen-Anhalt7.9+1 pts
33Brandenburg7.8+1.4 pts
34Mecklenburg-Vorpommern7.50 pts
35Leipzig5.6+0.5 pts
36Dresden5+0.3 pts
37Chemnitz4.4+0.4 pts
38Thüringen4.3-0.6 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, 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), Regions of Germany (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/germany-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). Regions of Germany (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/germany-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), Regions of Germany (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/germany-regions?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_regions_of_germany_nuts_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): Regions of Germany (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/germany-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): Regions of Germany (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/germany-regions?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adults-without-upper-secondary-education-25-64/germany-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?

Düsseldorf, with 18.9% in 2017, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Thüringen, with 4.3% 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.

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

Regions of Germany (NUTS 2): more rankings