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 2019, at 17.3%. Croatia had the lowest, at 3%. The median was 8.3% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 10.1%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest17.3Spain

Lowest3Croatia

Median8.327 EU countries

European Union (27)10.1History

All EU countries, 2019

%. 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	2019 (%)	Change on 2018
1	Spain	17.3	-0.6 pts
2	Romania	15.3	-1.1 pts
3	Malta	14.2	+0.2 pts
4	Bulgaria Series break	13.9	+1.2 pts
5	Italy	13.3	-1 pts
6	Hungary	11.9	-0.5 pts
7	Estonia	11.2	-0.8 pts
8	Portugal	10.5	-1.1 pts
9	Germany	10.3	0 pts
10	Denmark	9.9	-0.5 pts
11	Cyprus	9	+1.2 pts
12	Latvia	8.7	+0.4 pts
13	Belgium	8.4	-0.2 pts
14	Slovakia	8.3	-0.3 pts
15	France	8.2	-0.5 pts
16	Austria	7.8	+0.5 pts
17	Netherlands Series break	7.5	+0.2 pts
18	Finland	7.3	-1 pts
19	Luxembourg	7.2	+0.9 pts
20	Czechia	6.7	+0.5 pts
21	Sweden	6.5	-1 pts
22	Ireland	5.1	+0.1 pts
22	Poland Series break	5.1	+0.3 pts
24	Slovenia	4.6	+0.4 pts
25	Greece	4.1	-0.6 pts
26	Lithuania	4	-0.6 pts
27	Croatia Low reliability	3	-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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_early_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/early-leavers-education-training/eu-countries?period=2019.
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 17.3% in 2019, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Croatia, with 3% in 2019.

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.