Data / Rankings / Employment rate of recent graduates / EU countries

EU countries by employment rate of recent graduates

Malta had the highest employment rate of recent graduates of 27 EU countries in 2015, at 95.1%. Greece had the lowest, at 45.2%. The median was 77.9% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 75.5%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest95.1Malta
Lowest45.2Greece
Median77.927 EU countries
European Union (27)75.5History

Map of EU countries, 2015

Austria: 86.9 %Belgium: 79.5 %Bulgaria: 74.6 %Cyprus: 68.9 %Czechia: 82.2 %Germany: 90.4 %Denmark: 80.8 %Estonia: 79.8 %Spain: 65.2 %Finland: 75.5 %France: 71.8 %Greece: 45.2 %Croatia: 62.7 %Hungary: 80.4 %Ireland: 77.9 %Italy: 48.5 %Lithuania: 82.1 %Luxembourg: 84.7 %Latvia: 78.8 %Malta: 95.1 %Netherlands: 88.2 %Poland: 77.4 %Portugal: 72.2 %Romania: 68.1 %Sweden: 85.9 %Slovenia: 71.5 %Slovakia: 75.2 %
  • Under 69
  • 69 to 75
  • 75 to 80
  • 80 to 84
  • 84 and over
%, 2015. Source: Eurostat, Employment rate of people aged 20 to 34 not in education or training, 1 to 3 years after completing upper secondary or tertiary education (edat_lfse_24). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2015

Malta: 95.1 %Malta95.1Germany: 90.4 %Germany90.4Netherlands: 88.2 %Netherlands88.2Austria: 86.9 %Austria86.9Sweden: 85.9 %Sweden85.9Luxembourg: 84.7 %Luxembourg84.7Czechia: 82.2 %Czechia82.2Lithuania: 82.1 %Lithuania82.1Denmark: 80.8 %Denmark80.8Hungary: 80.4 %Hungary80.4Estonia: 79.8 %Estonia79.8Belgium: 79.5 %Belgium79.5Latvia: 78.8 %Latvia78.8Ireland: 77.9 %Ireland77.9Poland: 77.4 %Poland77.4Finland: 75.5 %Finland75.5Slovakia: 75.2 %Slovakia75.2Bulgaria: 74.6 %Bulgaria74.6Portugal: 72.2 %Portugal72.2France: 71.8 %France71.8Slovenia: 71.5 %Slovenia71.5Cyprus: 68.9 %Cyprus68.9Romania: 68.1 %Romania68.1Spain: 65.2 %Spain65.2Croatia: 62.7 %Croatia62.7Italy: 48.5 %Italy48.5Greece: 45.2 %Greece45.2Malta: 95.1 %Malta95.1Germany: 90.4 %Germany90.4Netherlands: 88.2 %Netherlands88.2Austria: 86.9 %Austria86.9Sweden: 85.9 %Sweden85.9Luxembourg: 84.7 %Luxembourg84.7Czechia: 82.2 %Czechia82.2Lithuania: 82.1 %Lithuania82.1Denmark: 80.8 %Denmark80.8Hungary: 80.4 %Hungary80.4Estonia: 79.8 %Estonia79.8Belgium: 79.5 %Belgium79.5Latvia: 78.8 %Latvia78.8Ireland: 77.9 %Ireland77.9Poland: 77.4 %Poland77.4Finland: 75.5 %Finland75.5Slovakia: 75.2 %Slovakia75.2Bulgaria: 74.6 %Bulgaria74.6Portugal: 72.2 %Portugal72.2France: 71.8 %France71.8Slovenia: 71.5 %Slovenia71.5Cyprus: 68.9 %Cyprus68.9Romania: 68.1 %Romania68.1Spain: 65.2 %Spain65.2Croatia: 62.7 %Croatia62.7Italy: 48.5 %Italy48.5Greece: 45.2 %Greece45.2
%. Source: Eurostat, Employment rate of people aged 20 to 34 not in education or training, 1 to 3 years after completing upper secondary or tertiary education (edat_lfse_24). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2015 (%)Change on 2014
1Malta95.1+1.5 pts
2Germany90.4+0.4 pts
3Netherlands88.2+2 pts
4Austria86.9-0.3 pts
5Sweden85.9+0.9 pts
6Luxembourg Series break84.7+0.9 pts
7Czechia82.2+0.9 pts
8Lithuania82.1+1.4 pts
9Denmark80.8-1.7 pts
10Hungary Series break80.4+1.9 pts
11Estonia79.8-1.1 pts
12Belgium79.5+0.5 pts
13Latvia78.8+1.8 pts
14Ireland77.9+1.9 pts
15Poland77.4+1.8 pts
16Finland75.5-1.5 pts
17Slovakia75.2+2.5 pts
18Bulgaria74.6+9.2 pts
19Portugal72.2+2.7 pts
20France71.8-3.7 pts
21Slovenia71.5+1.4 pts
22Cyprus68.9+0.2 pts
23Romania68.1+1.9 pts
24Spain65.2+0.1 pts
25Croatia62.7-0.7 pts
26Italy48.5+3.5 pts
27Greece45.2+0.9 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Employed people aged 20 to 34 who completed upper secondary or tertiary education (ISCED 2011 levels 3 to 8) one to three years before the survey and are no longer in education or training, as a percentage of all people in that group.

The indicator of the EU target that 82% of recent graduates should be employed by 2030. From the EU labour force survey. Eurostat flags series breaks (most in 2021, under the new framework regulation for social statistics); they are stored as status break.

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. Employment rate of people aged 20 to 34 not in education or training, 1 to 3 years after completing upper secondary or tertiary education (edat_lfse_24). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_24/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

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). Employment rate of people aged 20 to 34 not in education or training, 1 to 3 years after completing upper secondary or tertiary education (edat_lfse_24) (EU countries by employment rate of recent graduates, 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_24/default/table

MLA 9

Employment rate of people aged 20 to 34 not in education or training, 1 to 3 years after completing upper secondary or tertiary education (edat_lfse_24), EU countries by employment rate of recent graduates, 2015. Eurostat, European Commission, 10 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_24/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/recent-graduates-employment-rate/eu-countries?period=2015. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Employment rate of people aged 20 to 34 not in education or training, 1 to 3 years after completing upper secondary or tertiary education (edat_lfse_24). EU countries by employment rate of recent graduates, 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_24/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/recent-graduates-employment-rate/eu-countries?period=2015.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Employment rate of people aged 20 to 34 not in education or training, 1 to 3 years after completing upper secondary or tertiary education (edat_lfse_24), EU countries by employment rate of recent graduates, 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_24/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/recent-graduates-employment-rate/eu-countries?period=2015 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_employment_2015,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Employment rate of people aged 20 to 34 not in education or training, 1 to 3 years after completing upper secondary or tertiary education (edat\_lfse\_24): EU countries by employment rate of recent graduates, 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_24/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-18},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/recent-graduates-employment-rate/eu-countries?period=2015. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Employment rate of people aged 20 to 34 not in education or training, 1 to 3 years after completing upper secondary or tertiary education (edat\_lfse\_24). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat\_lfse\_24/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Employment rate of people aged 20 to 34 not in education or training, 1 to 3 years after completing upper secondary or tertiary education (edat_lfse_24): EU countries by employment rate of recent graduates, 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/10
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_24/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/recent-graduates-employment-rate/eu-countries?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/recent-graduates-employment-rate/eu-countries?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Employment rate of people aged 20 to 34 not in education or training, 1 to 3 years after completing upper secondary or tertiary education (edat_lfse_24). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_24/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
ER  -
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest employment rate of recent graduates?

Malta, with 95.1% in 2015, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest employment rate of recent graduates?

Greece, with 45.2% in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Employment rate of people aged 20 to 34 not in education or training, 1 to 3 years after completing upper secondary or tertiary education (edat_lfse_24). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

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