EU countries by early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24, 2025
Romania had the highest early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24 of 26 EU countries in 2025, at 15.5%. Croatia had the lowest, at 2.1%. The median was 7.8% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 9.1%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.
All EU countries, 2025
Full ranking
| Rank | EU countries | 2025 (%) | Change on 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romania | 15.5 | -1.3 pts |
| 2 | Germany | 13.1 | -0.4 pts |
| 3 | Spain | 12.8 | -0.2 pts |
| 4 | Estonia | 10.2 | -0.8 pts |
| 5 | Austria | 10 | +1.9 pts |
| 5 | Denmark Series break | 10 | -0.4 pts |
| 7 | Finland | 9.9 | +0.3 pts |
| 8 | Cyprus | 9.8 | -1.6 pts |
| 9 | Hungary | 9.3 | -1 pts |
| 10 | Latvia | 8.8 | +0.9 pts |
| 11 | Bulgaria | 8.6 | +0.4 pts |
| 11 | Malta | 8.6 | -0.9 pts |
| 13 | Italy | 8.2 | -1.6 pts |
| 14 | Netherlands | 7.4 | +0.4 pts |
| 15 | Belgium | 7.3 | +0.3 pts |
| 16 | France | 7.2 | -0.7 pts |
| 17 | Slovakia | 6.8 | -0.7 pts |
| 18 | Sweden | 6.7 | -0.5 pts |
| 19 | Czechia | 6.1 | +0.7 pts |
| 19 | Portugal | 6.1 | -0.5 pts |
| 21 | Lithuania | 5.9 | -2.5 pts |
| 22 | Slovenia | 5.5 | +0.5 pts |
| 23 | Poland | 4 | -0.1 pts |
| 24 | Ireland | 3.6 | +0.8 pts |
| 25 | Greece | 3 | 0 pts |
| 26 | Croatia Low reliability | 2.1 | +0.1 pts |
Other periods
About this ranking
People aged 18 to 24 who have completed lower secondary education at most (ISCED 2011 levels 0 to 2) and received no formal or non-formal education or training in the four weeks before the survey, as a percentage of all people aged 18 to 24 (EU Labour Force Survey).
A survey measure, not a dropout count from school records. The EU target is below 9% by 2030.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. 1 EU countries with data in other periods have no value for 2025 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
Eurostat. Early leavers from education and training by labour status, all persons, 18 to 24 years (edat_lfse_14). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_14/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank EU countries by early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24 using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"early_leavers_education_training_18_24","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=early_leavers_education_training_18_24&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(27)&limit=10Questions
Which EU country has the highest early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24?
Romania, with 15.5% in 2025, according to Eurostat, European Commission.
Which EU country has the lowest early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24?
Croatia, with 2.1% in 2025.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Early leavers from education and training by labour status, all persons, 18 to 24 years (edat_lfse_14). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 1 EU countries have no value for 2025 and are not ranked.
Early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24: other rankings
- Regions of Hungary (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Czechia (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Austria (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Germany (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Belgium (NUTS 2)
- Regions of France (NUTS 2)