EU countries by early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24

Spain had the highest early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24 of 27 EU countries in 2017, at 18.3%. Croatia had the lowest, at 2.9%. The median was 8.6% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 10.5%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest18.3Spain

Lowest2.9Croatia

Median8.627 EU countries

European Union (27)10.5History

Map of EU countries, 2017

Under 6.1
6.1 to 7.9
7.9 to 8.9
8.9 to 13
13 and over

%, 2017. Source: Eurostat, Early leavers from education and training by labour status, all persons, 18 to 24 years (edat_lfse_14). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2017

%. Source: Eurostat, Early leavers from education and training by labour status, all persons, 18 to 24 years (edat_lfse_14). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	EU countries	2017 (%)	Change on 2016
1	Spain	18.3	-0.7 pts
2	Romania	18.1	-0.4 pts
3	Italy	14	+0.2 pts
3	Malta	14	-1.6 pts
5	Bulgaria	12.7	-1.1 pts
6	Portugal	12.6	-1.3 pts
7	Hungary	12.5	+0.1 pts
8	Estonia	11.8	+0.4 pts
9	Germany	10.1	-0.2 pts
10	Slovakia	9.3	+1.9 pts
11	Belgium Series break	8.9	+0.1 pts
12	Denmark Series break	8.8	+1.3 pts
12	France	8.8	0 pts
14	Latvia	8.6	-1.4 pts
15	Cyprus	8.5	+0.9 pts
16	Finland	8.2	+0.3 pts
17	Sweden	7.7	+0.3 pts
18	Austria	7.4	+0.5 pts
19	Luxembourg	7.3	+1.8 pts
20	Netherlands	7.1	-0.9 pts
21	Czechia	6.7	+0.1 pts
22	Greece	6	-0.2 pts
23	Lithuania	5.4	+0.6 pts
24	Ireland Series break	5	-1 pts
24	Poland	5	-0.2 pts
26	Slovenia	4.3	-0.6 pts
27	Croatia Low reliability	2.9	+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. 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.

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). Early leavers from education and training by labour status, all persons, 18 to 24 years (edat_lfse_14) (EU countries by early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_14/default/table

MLA 9

Early leavers from education and training by labour status, all persons, 18 to 24 years (edat_lfse_14), EU countries by early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24, 2017. Eurostat, European Commission, 10 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_14/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/early-leavers-education-training/eu-countries?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Early leavers from education and training by labour status, all persons, 18 to 24 years (edat_lfse_14). EU countries by early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_14/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/early-leavers-education-training/eu-countries?period=2017.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Early leavers from education and training by labour status, all persons, 18 to 24 years (edat_lfse_14), EU countries by early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_14/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/early-leavers-education-training/eu-countries?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_early_2017,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Early leavers from education and training by labour status, all persons, 18 to 24 years (edat\_lfse\_14): EU countries by early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24, 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_14/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/early-leavers-education-training/eu-countries?period=2017. Publisher attribution: 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.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Early leavers from education and training by labour status, all persons, 18 to 24 years (edat_lfse_14): EU countries by early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24, 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/10
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_14/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/early-leavers-education-training/eu-countries?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/early-leavers-education-training/eu-countries?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: 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.
ER  -

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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}
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24?

Spain, with 18.3% in 2017, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest early leavers from education and training, ages 18 to 24?

Croatia, with 2.9% 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, Early leavers from education and training by labour status, all persons, 18 to 24 years (edat_lfse_14). Retrieved 2026-10-12.