EU regions (NUTS 2) by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64

Sostinės regionas had the highest tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64 of 243 regions in 2021, at 60.6%. Nord-Est had the lowest, at 12.3%. The median was 31.4% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 33.6%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest60.6Sostinės regionas

Lowest12.3Nord-Est

Median31.4243 regions

European Union (27)33.6History

Top 40 regions, 2021

%. Source: Eurostat, Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Regions	2021 (%)	Change on 2020
1	Sostinės regionas Series break	60.6	+2 pts
2	Prov. Brabant wallon Series break	59.7	0 pts
3	Warszawski stołeczny Series break	58.1	+0.3 pts
4	Eastern and Midland Series break	56.5	+2.6 pts
5	Stockholm Series break	56.1	+2.4 pts
6	Budapest Series break	55.6	+5.8 pts
7	Basque Country Series break	55	+1.6 pts
8	Ile-de-France Series break	54.4	+0.1 pts
9	Hovedstaden Series break	54.1	+1.1 pts
10	Prov. Vlaams-Brabant Low reliability	53.2	+1.8 pts
11	Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/ Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Series break	52.2	+2.9 pts
12	Utrecht Series break	51.5	-4.2 pts
13	Luxembourg Series break	50.5	+3.4 pts
14	Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen Series break	50	+5.9 pts
15	Helsinki-Uusimaa Series break	49.8	-5.1 pts
15	Praha Series break	49.8	+3.9 pts
17	Community of Madrid Series break	49.7	-0.5 pts
18	Southern Series break	49.4	+3.8 pts
19	Noord-Holland Series break	49.1	-0.8 pts
20	Navarre Series break	48.7	+0.3 pts
20	Northern and Western Series break	48.7	+2.3 pts
22	Sydsverige Series break	47.5	+2.1 pts
23	Kýpros Series break	47	+2 pts
24	Berlin Series break	46.7	+3.8 pts
24	Bratislavský kraj Series break	46.7	+1.1 pts
26	Zahodna Slovenija Series break	46	+4.4 pts
27	Västsverige Series break	45.6	+2.2 pts
28	Attiki Series break	45	+4 pts
29	Zuid-Holland Series break	44.7	+0.5 pts
30	Asturias Series break	44.6	+0.4 pts
30	Östra Mellansverige Series break	44.6	+1.8 pts
30	Prov. Luxembourg (BE) Series break	44.6	+2.1 pts
30	Rhône-Alpes Series break	44.6	+1.4 pts
34	Wien Series break	44.5	+1.8 pts
35	Midi-Pyrénées Series break	44.2	+0.9 pts
36	Grad Zagreb Series break	43.9	+0.8 pts
37	Cantabria Series break	43.5	+1 pts
37	Prov. Antwerpen Series break	43.5	+2.5 pts
39	Oberbayern Series break	43.2	+1.4 pts
40	Yugozapaden Series break	43.1	+0.4 pts
41	Övre Norrland Series break	43	+3 pts
42	Prov. Namur Series break	42.8	+2 pts
43	Gelderland Series break	42.7	+4.6 pts
44	Catalonia Series break	42.5	+0.2 pts
45	Prov. Liège Series break	42.4	+2.7 pts
46	Groningen Series break	41.9	+1.3 pts
47	Grande Lisboa Series break	41.8	+1.3 pts
48	Galicia Series break	41.4	+1.1 pts
48	Hamburg Series break	41.4	+4.7 pts
50	Eesti Series break	41.2	+1.1 pts
51	Bucureşti-Ilfov Series break	41.1	+0.6 pts
52	Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Series break	40.8	+0.8 pts
53	Aragon Series break	40.5	+0.8 pts
54	Bretagne Series break	40.4	+2.3 pts
55	Midtjylland Series break	40.2	+1.3 pts
56	Länsi-Suomi Series break	40.1	-5.8 pts
56	Mellersta Norrland Series break	40.1	+3.1 pts
58	La Rioja Series break	40	+1.5 pts
58	Noord-Brabant Series break	40	-1.1 pts
60	Aquitaine Series break	39.9	+3.9 pts
60	Overijssel Series break	39.9	+2.2 pts
62	Prov. West-Vlaanderen Series break	39.5	+0.8 pts
63	Castile and León Series break	39.3	+0.3 pts
64	Prov. Limburg (BE) Series break	39.2	+1.5 pts
65	Latvija Series break	39	+1.2 pts
66	Pays de la Loire Series break	38.6	+2.7 pts
67	Vidurio ir vakarų Lietuvos regionas Series break	38.5	+0.7 pts
68	Languedoc-Roussillon Series break	38.4	-2.6 pts
68	Limburg (NL) Series break	38.4	+3.8 pts
70	Valencian Community Series break	38.2	+0.2 pts
71	Etelä-Suomi Series break	38	-5.5 pts
72	Alsace Series break	37.7	-1.3 pts
73	Pohjois- ja Itä-Suomi Series break	37.6	-4.4 pts
73	Småland med öarna Series break	37.6	+0.4 pts
75	Åland Series break	37.5	-4.1 pts
76	Limousin Series break	37	+3.2 pts
77	Leipzig Series break	36.9	-0.1 pts
78	Dolnośląskie Series break	36.7	+0.2 pts
79	Małopolskie Series break	36.4	+2.1 pts
80	Balearic Islands Series break	36.3	+1.5 pts
81	Bourgogne Series break	35.9	+0.9 pts
82	Drenthe Series break	35.8	+1.2 pts
82	Nord-Pas de Calais Series break	35.8	+3.7 pts
84	Canary Islands Series break	35.6	+1.2 pts
85	Stuttgart Series break	35.5	+0.8 pts
86	Norra Mellansverige Series break	35.4	+0.1 pts
87	Vzhodna Slovenija Series break	35.3	+4.5 pts
88	Flevoland Series break	35	0 pts
88	Nordjylland Series break	35	+3 pts
88	Pomorskie Series break	35	-0.3 pts
91	Köln Series break	34.8	+2.6 pts
92	Basse-Normandie Series break	34.6	+2 pts
93	Melilla Series break	34.5	+0.2 pts
94	Karlsruhe Series break	34.2	-0.3 pts
95	Darmstadt Series break	34.1	+1.4 pts
96	Andalusia Series break	34	+1.5 pts
97	Niederösterreich Series break	33.9	+0.9 pts
97	Syddanmark Series break	33.9	+0.4 pts
99	Haute-Normandie Series break	33.8	+2 pts
100	Dresden Series break	33.7	+1.6 pts
100	Region of Murcia Series break	33.7	+0.9 pts
102	Bremen Series break	33.6	+2.8 pts
102	Freiburg Series break	33.6	0 pts
102	Kärnten Series break	33.6	+1.5 pts
102	Salzburg Series break	33.6	+1.1 pts
106	Friesland (NL) Series break	33.5	-0.8 pts
106	Prov. Hainaut Series break	33.5	+1.1 pts
108	Kentriki Makedonia Series break	33.3	+1.1 pts
108	Poitou-Charentes Series break	33.3	-0.1 pts
110	Tübingen Series break	33.1	+0.9 pts
111	Pest Series break	33	+3 pts
111	Podlaskie Series break	33	+1.3 pts
113	Mittelfranken Series break	32.8	-1 pts
113	Thessalia Series break	32.8	+2.5 pts
115	Centre - Val de Loire Series break	32.7	+0.8 pts
115	Franche-Comté Series break	32.7	-1.1 pts
117	Malta Series break	32.1	+1.3 pts
117	Sjælland Series break	32.1	+1.7 pts
119	Śląskie Series break	31.9	+1.1 pts
120	Rheinhessen-Pfalz Series break	31.8	-0.9 pts
121	Picardie Series break	31.6	-1 pts
122	Burgenland Series break	31.4	-1.7 pts
122	Tirol Series break	31.4	-0.5 pts
124	Brandenburg Series break	31.3	+2.1 pts
124	Castilla-La Mancha Series break	31.3	+0.5 pts
124	Champagne-Ardenne Series break	31.3	+6.5 pts
124	Lubelskie Series break	31.3	-2.2 pts
128	Braunschweig Series break	31.2	-0.8 pts
129	Lorraine Series break	31.1	-1.4 pts
129	Oberpfalz Series break	31.1	+1.4 pts
131	Gießen Series break	31	+1 pts
132	Unterfranken Series break	30.8	-0.5 pts
133	Península de Setúbal Series break	30.7	+2.8 pts
134	Oberfranken Series break	30.6	+2.9 pts
135	Oberösterreich Series break	30.5	-0.6 pts
136	Schwaben Series break	30.4	-2 pts
136	Świętokrzyskie Series break	30.4	-1.5 pts
138	Auvergne Series break	30.2	-1 pts
138	Hannover Series break	30.2	+1.9 pts
138	Łódzkie Series break	30.2	-0.2 pts
138	Podkarpackie Series break	30.2	+0.5 pts
138	Steiermark Series break	30.2	-0.9 pts
143	Ipeiros Series break	30	-1.6 pts
143	Zachodniopomorskie Series break	30	+0.1 pts
145	Zeeland Series break	29.8	-2 pts
146	Centro (PT) Series break	29.6	+1.6 pts
147	Martinique Series break	29.4	+2.3 pts
148	Düsseldorf Series break	29.3	+0.4 pts
149	Extremadura Series break	29.2	+2.5 pts
150	Lubuskie Series break	29.1	+1 pts
151	Trier Series break	28.9	-2.7 pts
152	Vorarlberg Series break	28.6	-0.6 pts
153	Thüringen Series break	28.4	-0.7 pts
154	Schleswig-Holstein Series break	28.3	+1.4 pts
155	Kujawsko-pomorskie Series break	28.2	+1.3 pts
155	Mazowiecki regionalny Series break	28.2	+1.9 pts
157	Voreio Aigaio Series break	27.9	-1.4 pts
157	Wielkopolskie Series break	27.9	-1.6 pts
159	Corse Low reliability	27.8	-11.5 pts
159	Opolskie Series break	27.8	+0.1 pts
161	Dytiki Makedonia Series break	27.7	+1.1 pts
161	Jihovýchod Series break	27.7	0 pts
161	Východné Slovensko Series break	27.7	+1.1 pts
164	Kriti Series break	27.6	-0.4 pts
165	Münster Series break	27.4	+0.8 pts
165	Niederbayern Series break	27.4	+3 pts
167	Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Series break	27.3	0 pts
167	Saarland Series break	27.3	+1 pts
169	Koblenz Series break	27.2	-0.1 pts
170	Kassel Series break	26.9	-1.2 pts
171	Arnsberg Series break	26.7	+1.2 pts
171	Lüneburg Series break	26.7	-0.2 pts
173	Detmold Series break	26.6	+0.7 pts
173	Severen tsentralen Series break	26.6	+0.3 pts
175	Weser-Ems Series break	26.5	+1.5 pts
176	Lazio Series break	26.1	-0.4 pts
177	Dytiki Elláda Series break	26	+1 pts
178	Severoiztochen Series break	25.9	+2.6 pts
179	Střední Čechy Series break	25.6	+1.4 pts
180	Chemnitz Series break	25.5	-1.5 pts
181	Nyugat-Dunántúl Series break	25.3	+0.3 pts
181	Warmińsko-mazurskie Series break	25.3	+1.4 pts
183	Sachsen-Anhalt Series break	25.1	+2.5 pts
184	Anatoliki Makedonia, Thraki Series break	24.9	+0.5 pts
184	Jadranska Hrvatska Series break	24.9	-1.6 pts
184	Norte Series break	24.9	+1.2 pts
187	Algarve Series break	24.8	+0.9 pts
188	Ceuta Series break	24.7	-1 pts
188	Peloponnisos Series break	24.7	+0.8 pts
188	Região Autónoma da Madeira Series break	24.7	+2.2 pts
188	Sterea Elláda Series break	24.7	-0.5 pts
192	Stredné Slovensko Series break	24.5	+0.8 pts
192	Střední Morava Series break	24.5	+2.2 pts
194	La Réunion Series break	24.4	+1.5 pts
195	Notio Aigaio Series break	24.1	+1.6 pts
196	Západné Slovensko Series break	23.6	+1.2 pts
197	Guadeloupe Series break	23.4	+0.1 pts
198	Emilia-Romagna Series break	23.3	-0.1 pts
199	Közép-Dunántúl Series break	23.2	+1 pts
200	Yugoiztochen Series break	22.7	-0.2 pts
201	Yuzhen tsentralen Series break	22.6	+0.6 pts
202	Moravskoslezsko Series break	22.5	+1.4 pts
202	Umbria Series break	22.5	-0.5 pts
204	Dél-Alföld Series break	22.1	+0.5 pts
205	Liguria Series break	21.9	+0.2 pts
206	Provincia Autonoma di Trento Series break	21.8	-0.3 pts
207	Jihozápad Series break	21.6	+1.8 pts
207	Marche Series break	21.6	+0.1 pts
209	Oeste e Vale do Tejo Series break	21.5	+1 pts
210	Alentejo Series break	21.4	+0.9 pts
211	Abruzzo Series break	21.2	+0.2 pts
211	Friuli-Venezia Giulia Series break	21.2	-0.1 pts
211	Lombardia Series break	21.2	-0.4 pts
214	Severovýchod Series break	20.9	+0.4 pts
215	Toscana Series break	20.8	0 pts
216	Dél-Dunántúl Series break	20.4	+2 pts
217	Észak-Alföld Series break	20.1	+0.8 pts
218	Piemonte Series break	20	+0.4 pts
219	Severozapaden Series break	19.8	-1 pts
220	Veneto Series break	19.7	-0.3 pts
221	Molise Series break	19.5	+0.3 pts
222	Nord-Vest Series break	19.3	-0.8 pts
223	Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste Series break	18.9	+0.1 pts
224	Észak-Magyarország Series break	18.8	+1.9 pts
224	Ionia Nisia Series break	18.8	-4.9 pts
226	Guyane Series break	18.2	-0.5 pts
227	Sjeverna Hrvatska Series break	18.1	+0.7 pts
228	Panonska Hrvatska Series break	17.8	+0.8 pts
229	Basilicata Series break	17.6	0 pts
229	Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen Series break	17.6	-0.1 pts
231	Sardegna Series break	17.4	-0.6 pts
231	Sud-Vest Oltenia Series break	17.4	+0.7 pts
233	Campania Series break	16.5	+0.4 pts
234	Centru Series break	16.4	-0.7 pts
235	Vest Series break	16.3	-0.7 pts
236	Calabria Series break	16.2	+0.4 pts
237	Região Autónoma dos Açores Series break	15.9	+0.7 pts
238	Puglia Series break	15.8	+0.5 pts
239	Severozápad Series break	15.1	+1.4 pts
240	Sicilia Series break	14.8	+0.2 pts
241	Sud-Muntenia Series break	13.9	+0.8 pts
242	Sud-Est Series break	12.9	-0.2 pts
243	Nord-Est Series break	12.3	+0.5 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 regions are compared on one definition. 1 regions with data in other periods have no value for 2021 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/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 and NUTS 2 region, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04) (EU regions (NUTS 2) by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table

MLA 9

Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04), EU regions (NUTS 2) by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2021. Eurostat, European Commission, 10 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/eu-regions?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04). EU regions (NUTS 2) by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/eu-regions?period=2021.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04), EU regions (NUTS 2) by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/eu-regions?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_regions_nuts_2_2021,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat\_lfse\_04): EU regions (NUTS 2) by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/eu-regions?period=2021. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat\_lfse\_04). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat\_lfse\_04/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04): EU regions (NUTS 2) by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/10
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/eu-regions?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/tertiary-education-attainment-25-64/eu-regions?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Population by educational attainment level and NUTS 2 region, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/edat_lfse_04/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Rank EU regions by tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 64 using official data, and cite the source.

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Questions

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

Sostinės regionas, with 60.6% in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Nord-Est, with 12.3% in 2021.

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 and NUTS 2 region, tertiary education (levels 5 to 8), 25 to 64 years (edat_lfse_04). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 1 regions have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.