Data / Rankings / Tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64 / EU countries

EU countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64

Luxembourg had the highest tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64 of 27 EU countries in 2014, at 45.9%. Romania had the lowest, at 15.9%. The median was 29.9% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 27.8%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

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Highest45.9Luxembourg
Lowest15.9Romania
Median29.927 EU countries
European Union (27)27.8History

Map of EU countries, 2014

Austria: 29.9 %Belgium: 36.9 %Bulgaria: 27 %Cyprus: 40.3 %Czechia: 21.5 %Germany: 27.1 %Denmark: 35.7 %Estonia: 37.6 %Spain: 34.7 %Finland: 41.8 %France: 33.2 %Greece: 28.1 %Croatia: 21.8 %Hungary: 23.4 %Ireland: 43.3 %Italy: 16.9 %Lithuania: 36.7 %Luxembourg: 45.9 %Latvia: 30.2 %Malta: 21.2 %Netherlands: 34.4 %Poland: 27 %Portugal: 21.7 %Romania: 15.9 %Sweden: 38.7 %Slovenia: 28.6 %Slovakia: 20.4 %
  • Under 22
  • 22 to 28
  • 28 to 34
  • 34 to 37
  • 37 and over
%, 2014. Source: Eurostat, Population by educational attainment level, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2014

Luxembourg: 45.9 %Luxembourg45.9Ireland: 43.3 %Ireland43.3Finland: 41.8 %Finland41.8Cyprus: 40.3 %Cyprus40.3Sweden: 38.7 %Sweden38.7Estonia: 37.6 %Estonia37.6Belgium: 36.9 %Belgium36.9Lithuania: 36.7 %Lithuania36.7Denmark: 35.7 %Denmark35.7Spain: 34.7 %Spain34.7Netherlands: 34.4 %Netherlands34.4France: 33.2 %France33.2Latvia: 30.2 %Latvia30.2Austria: 29.9 %Austria29.9Slovenia: 28.6 %Slovenia28.6Greece: 28.1 %Greece28.1Germany: 27.1 %Germany27.1Bulgaria: 27 %Bulgaria27Poland: 27 %Poland27Hungary: 23.4 %Hungary23.4Croatia: 21.8 %Croatia21.8Portugal: 21.7 %Portugal21.7Czechia: 21.5 %Czechia21.5Malta: 21.2 %Malta21.2Slovakia: 20.4 %Slovakia20.4Italy: 16.9 %Italy16.9Romania: 15.9 %Romania15.9Luxembourg: 45.9 %Luxembourg45.9Ireland: 43.3 %Ireland43.3Finland: 41.8 %Finland41.8Cyprus: 40.3 %Cyprus40.3Sweden: 38.7 %Sweden38.7Estonia: 37.6 %Estonia37.6Belgium: 36.9 %Belgium36.9Lithuania: 36.7 %Lithuania36.7Denmark: 35.7 %Denmark35.7Spain: 34.7 %Spain34.7Netherlands: 34.4 %Netherlands34.4France: 33.2 %France33.2Latvia: 30.2 %Latvia30.2Austria: 29.9 %Austria29.9Slovenia: 28.6 %Slovenia28.6Greece: 28.1 %Greece28.1Germany: 27.1 %Germany27.1Bulgaria: 27 %Bulgaria27Poland: 27 %Poland27Hungary: 23.4 %Hungary23.4Croatia: 21.8 %Croatia21.8Portugal: 21.7 %Portugal21.7Czechia: 21.5 %Czechia21.5Malta: 21.2 %Malta21.2Slovakia: 20.4 %Slovakia20.4Italy: 16.9 %Italy16.9Romania: 15.9 %Romania15.9
%. Source: Eurostat, Population by educational attainment level, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2014 (%)Change on 2013
1Luxembourg Series break45.9+5.2 pts
2Ireland Series break43.3+0.7 pts
3Finland Series break41.8+1.3 pts
4Cyprus Series break40.3+1 pts
5Sweden Series break38.7+1.7 pts
6Estonia Series break37.6+0.2 pts
7Belgium Series break36.9+1.4 pts
8Lithuania Series break36.7+1.5 pts
9Denmark Series break35.7+0.5 pts
10Spain Series break34.7+1 pts
11Netherlands Series break34.4+0.5 pts
12France Series break33.2+1.1 pts
13Latvia Series break30.2-0.8 pts
14Austria Series break29.9+9.3 pts
15Slovenia Series break28.6+0.7 pts
16Greece Series break28.1+0.7 pts
17Germany Series break27.1-1.5 pts
18Bulgaria Series break27+1.4 pts
18Poland Series break27+1.2 pts
20Hungary Series break23.4+0.8 pts
21Croatia Series break21.8+0.9 pts
22Portugal Series break21.7+2.4 pts
23Czechia Series break21.5+1 pts
24Malta Series break21.2+1.6 pts
25Slovakia Series break20.4+0.5 pts
26Italy Series break16.9+0.5 pts
27Romania Series break15.9+0.3 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 25 to 64 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 64. Measured by national labour force surveys.

Includes short-cycle tertiary programmes such as US associate degrees, so it is higher than the US bachelors_degree_share, which also 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 64 years (edat_lfse_03). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/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). Population by educational attainment level, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03) (EU countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table

MLA 9

Population by educational attainment level, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03), EU countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2014. Eurostat, European Commission, 10 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/eu-countries?period=2014. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Population by educational attainment level, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03). EU countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/eu-countries?period=2014.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Population by educational attainment level, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03), EU countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/eu-countries?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_tertiary_2014,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Population by educational attainment level, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat\_lfse\_03): EU countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2014}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/eu-countries?period=2014. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Population by educational attainment level, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat\_lfse\_03). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat\_lfse\_03/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Population by educational attainment level, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03): EU countries by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2014
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/10
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/eu-countries?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/eu-countries?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Population by educational attainment level, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_03). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_03/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64?

Luxembourg, with 45.9% in 2014, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64?

Romania, with 15.9% in 2014.

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 64 years (edat_lfse_03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings