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 2018, at 17.9%. Croatia had the lowest, at 3.1%. The median was 8.3% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 10.5%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest17.9Spain

Lowest3.1Croatia

Median8.327 EU countries

European Union (27)10.5History

All EU countries, 2018

%. 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	2018 (%)	Change on 2017
1	Spain	17.9	-0.4 pts
2	Romania	16.4	-1.7 pts
3	Italy Series break	14.3	+0.3 pts
4	Malta	14	0 pts
5	Bulgaria	12.7	0 pts
6	Hungary Series break	12.4	-0.1 pts
7	Estonia	12	+0.2 pts
8	Portugal	11.6	-1 pts
9	Denmark	10.4	+1.6 pts
10	Germany	10.3	+0.2 pts
11	France	8.7	-0.1 pts
12	Belgium	8.6	-0.3 pts
12	Slovakia	8.6	-0.7 pts
14	Finland	8.3	+0.1 pts
14	Latvia	8.3	-0.3 pts
16	Cyprus	7.8	-0.7 pts
17	Sweden Series break	7.5	-0.2 pts
18	Austria	7.3	-0.1 pts
18	Netherlands	7.3	+0.2 pts
20	Luxembourg	6.3	-1 pts
21	Czechia	6.2	-0.5 pts
22	Ireland	5	0 pts
23	Poland	4.8	-0.2 pts
24	Greece	4.7	-1.3 pts
25	Lithuania	4.6	-0.8 pts
26	Slovenia	4.2	-0.1 pts
27	Croatia Low reliability	3.1	+0.2 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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

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, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_early_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/early-leavers-education-training/eu-countries?period=2018.
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 17.9% in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Croatia, with 3.1% in 2018.

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.