EU countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 34, 2025

Ireland had the highest tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 34 of 27 EU countries in 2025, at 66.8%. Romania had the lowest, at 23%. The median was 44.3% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 44.8%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest66.8Ireland

Lowest23Romania

Median44.327 EU countries

European Union (27)44.8History

All EU countries, 2025

%. Source: Eurostat, Population by educational attainment level, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 34 years (edat_lfse_03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	EU countries	2025 (%)	Change on 2024
1	Ireland	66.8	+1.6 pts
2	Luxembourg	65.2	+1.4 pts
3	Lithuania	60.8	+2.6 pts
4	Cyprus	60	-0.3 pts
5	Netherlands	56.1	+1 pts
6	France	55.8	+2.7 pts
7	Sweden	53.6	-0.8 pts
8	Belgium	52.7	+2 pts
9	Denmark	52.5	+1.3 pts
9	Spain	52.5	-0.1 pts
11	Malta	47.7	+0.6 pts
12	Poland	45.2	-0.5 pts
13	Latvia	44.7	-0.3 pts
14	Estonia	44.3	+1.6 pts
15	Austria	43.7	-0.4 pts
16	Greece	42.8	-1.7 pts
16	Slovenia	42.8	-0.3 pts
18	Portugal	42.5	-0.7 pts
19	Croatia	42	+2.6 pts
20	Bulgaria	41.2	+0.7 pts
21	Germany	40.9	+1.8 pts
22	Finland	38.2	-0.9 pts
23	Slovakia	36.3	-0.9 pts
24	Czechia	36	+2.5 pts
25	Hungary	32.6	+0.3 pts
26	Italy	31.1	-0.5 pts
27	Romania	23	-0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 25 to 34 whose highest completed level of education is tertiary (ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8: short-cycle tertiary, bachelor's or equivalent, master's or equivalent, and doctoral), as a percentage of all people aged 25 to 34 living in private households (EU Labour Force Survey).

The EU has set a target of at least 45% by 2030 for this age group. It shows recent graduates; for the whole adult population use tertiary_attainment_share_25_64. Not comparable with the US bachelors_degree_share, which excludes associate degrees and covers everyone aged 25 and over.

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. Population by educational attainment level, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 34 years (edat_lfse_03). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Use this data in your AI agent

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Rank EU countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 34 using official data, and cite the source.

rank_places {"indicator":"tertiary_attainment_share_25_34","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 34?

Ireland, with 66.8% in 2025, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 34?

Romania, with 23% in 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Population by educational attainment level, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 34 years (edat_lfse_03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.