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 2020, at 16%. Croatia had the lowest, at 2.2%. The median was 8.1% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 10%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest16Spain

Lowest2.2Croatia

Median8.127 EU countries

European Union (27)10History

All EU countries, 2020

%. 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	2020 (%)	Change on 2019
1	Spain	16	-1.3 pts
2	Romania	15.6	+0.3 pts
3	Italy	14.2	+0.9 pts
4	Malta	13	-1.2 pts
5	Bulgaria	12.8	-1.1 pts
6	Hungary	12	+0.1 pts
7	Cyprus	11.6	+2.6 pts
8	Germany Series break	10.1	-0.2 pts
9	Denmark	9.3	-0.6 pts
10	Portugal	9.1	-1.4 pts
11	Estonia	8.5	-2.7 pts
12	Finland	8.2	+0.9 pts
12	Luxembourg	8.2	+1 pts
14	Austria	8.1	+0.3 pts
14	Belgium	8.1	-0.3 pts
16	France	8	-0.2 pts
17	Sweden	7.7	+1.2 pts
18	Czechia	7.6	+0.9 pts
18	Slovakia	7.6	-0.7 pts
20	Latvia	7.2	-1.5 pts
21	Netherlands	7	-0.5 pts
22	Lithuania	5.6	+1.6 pts
23	Poland	5.3	+0.2 pts
24	Ireland	5	-0.1 pts
25	Slovenia	4.1	-0.5 pts
26	Greece	3.8	-0.3 pts
27	Croatia Low reliability	2.2	-0.8 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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_early_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/early-leavers-education-training/eu-countries?period=2020.
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 16% in 2020, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Croatia, with 2.2% in 2020.

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.