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 2017, at 93.8%. Greece had the lowest, at 52%. The median was 81.6% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 79%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest93.8Malta
Lowest52Greece
Median81.627 EU countries
European Union (27)79History

Map of EU countries, 2017

Austria: 89.4 %Belgium: 81.9 %Bulgaria: 77.7 %Cyprus: 71.6 %Czechia: 89.9 %Germany: 90.9 %Denmark: 81.7 %Estonia: 80.4 %Spain: 71.9 %Finland: 77 %France: 73.6 %Greece: 52 %Croatia: 65.4 %Hungary: 84.7 %Ireland: 83.5 %Italy: 55.2 %Lithuania: 83.9 %Luxembourg: 88.5 %Latvia: 78 %Malta: 93.8 %Netherlands: 90.4 %Poland: 82.1 %Portugal: 80.8 %Romania: 76 %Sweden: 88.3 %Slovenia: 81.6 %Slovakia: 81.5 %
  • Under 74
  • 74 to 81
  • 81 to 82
  • 82 to 88
  • 88 and over
%, 2017. 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, 2017

Malta: 93.8 %Malta93.8Germany: 90.9 %Germany90.9Netherlands: 90.4 %Netherlands90.4Czechia: 89.9 %Czechia89.9Austria: 89.4 %Austria89.4Luxembourg: 88.5 %Luxembourg88.5Sweden: 88.3 %Sweden88.3Hungary: 84.7 %Hungary84.7Lithuania: 83.9 %Lithuania83.9Ireland: 83.5 %Ireland83.5Poland: 82.1 %Poland82.1Belgium: 81.9 %Belgium81.9Denmark: 81.7 %Denmark81.7Slovenia: 81.6 %Slovenia81.6Slovakia: 81.5 %Slovakia81.5Portugal: 80.8 %Portugal80.8Estonia: 80.4 %Estonia80.4Latvia: 78 %Latvia78Bulgaria: 77.7 %Bulgaria77.7Finland: 77 %Finland77Romania: 76 %Romania76France: 73.6 %France73.6Spain: 71.9 %Spain71.9Cyprus: 71.6 %Cyprus71.6Croatia: 65.4 %Croatia65.4Italy: 55.2 %Italy55.2Greece: 52 %Greece52Malta: 93.8 %Malta93.8Germany: 90.9 %Germany90.9Netherlands: 90.4 %Netherlands90.4Czechia: 89.9 %Czechia89.9Austria: 89.4 %Austria89.4Luxembourg: 88.5 %Luxembourg88.5Sweden: 88.3 %Sweden88.3Hungary: 84.7 %Hungary84.7Lithuania: 83.9 %Lithuania83.9Ireland: 83.5 %Ireland83.5Poland: 82.1 %Poland82.1Belgium: 81.9 %Belgium81.9Denmark: 81.7 %Denmark81.7Slovenia: 81.6 %Slovenia81.6Slovakia: 81.5 %Slovakia81.5Portugal: 80.8 %Portugal80.8Estonia: 80.4 %Estonia80.4Latvia: 78 %Latvia78Bulgaria: 77.7 %Bulgaria77.7Finland: 77 %Finland77Romania: 76 %Romania76France: 73.6 %France73.6Spain: 71.9 %Spain71.9Cyprus: 71.6 %Cyprus71.6Croatia: 65.4 %Croatia65.4Italy: 55.2 %Italy55.2Greece: 52 %Greece52
%. 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 countries2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Malta Series break93.8-2.2 pts
2Germany90.9+0.8 pts
3Netherlands90.4+0.3 pts
4Czechia89.9+3.2 pts
5Austria89.4+1.8 pts
6Luxembourg88.5+3.1 pts
7Sweden88.3+1.6 pts
8Hungary84.7-0.3 pts
9Lithuania83.9+1.5 pts
10Ireland Series break83.5+1.3 pts
11Poland82.1+1.9 pts
12Belgium Series break81.9+0.7 pts
13Denmark Series break81.7-0.9 pts
14Slovenia81.6+4.9 pts
15Slovakia81.5+1.9 pts
16Portugal80.8+6.7 pts
17Estonia80.4+3.9 pts
18Latvia78-3.4 pts
19Bulgaria77.7+5.7 pts
20Finland77-0.4 pts
21Romania76+6.7 pts
22France73.6+1 pts
23Spain71.9+3.9 pts
24Cyprus71.6-1.8 pts
25Croatia65.4-7.3 pts
26Italy55.2+2.3 pts
27Greece52+2.8 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, 2017) [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, 2017. 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=2017. 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, 2017. 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=2017.

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, 2017 [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=2017 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_employment_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  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=2017. 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, 2017
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=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/recent-graduates-employment-rate/eu-countries?period=2017.
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 93.8% in 2017, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Greece, with 52% 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, 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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