School dropout statistics are not one single measure. Eurostat’s comparable early-leaver indicator places the EU rate at 9.1% among people aged 18–24 in 2025. A separate lifetime measure found that 14.2% of people aged 15–34 had left formal education or training at least once in 2024.
Table of contents
Definitions
Eurostat’s early-leaver indicator is the share of people aged 18–24 with at most lower-secondary education who were not in education or training during the four weeks before the EU Labour Force Survey. It is a comparable school-dropout-related measure, not a count of everyone who has ever left school. The lifetime measure covers people aged 15–34 who left formal education or training at least once. Percentages are survey or population shares, and regional figures are NUTS-level estimates. Values marked 2025 are measurements for 2025, not forecasts. (Sources: Education and training statistics at regional level – 2026 edition; 14% of young people in the EU dropped out of education.)
Latest rates
The EU early-leaver rate was 9.1% in 2025. Country rates ranged from 2.1% in Croatia to 15.5% in Romania. Germany recorded 13.1% and Spain 12.8%. Croatia, Greece, Ireland and Poland each had a share of 4% or lower. Seventeen EU countries were below the EU’s 9% target.
| Country or benchmark | Share | Period |
|---|---|---|
| EU early leavers | 9.1% | Ages 18–24, 2025 |
| Croatia | 2.1% | Early leavers, 2025 |
| Romania | 15.5% | Early leavers, 2025 |
| Germany | 13.1% | Early leavers, 2025 |
| Spain | 12.8% | Early leavers, 2025 |
| EU lifetime measure | 14.2% | Ages 15–34, 2024 |
| Netherlands | 32.2% | Lifetime, ages 15–34, 2024 |
| Denmark | 27.1% | Lifetime, ages 15–34, 2024 |
| Romania | 1.5% | Lifetime, ages 15–34, 2024 |
Romania’s 15.5% early-leaver rate and 1.5% lifetime share are not contradictory measurements of the same event. They use different populations, definitions and time concepts. (Source: Education and training statistics at regional level – 2026 edition.)
Trends
The EU early-leaver rate was 16.9% in 2002 and reached 10.5% in 2017. It fell by 1.9 percentage points between 2015 and 2025. Malta had the largest country-level reduction over that period, at 7.7 points. Portugal fell 7.4 points and Spain 7.2 points. Seven EU countries recorded increases.
| Trend | Change |
|---|---|
| EU, 2002 | 16.9% |
| EU, 2017 | 10.5% |
| EU, 2015–2025 | -1.9 points |
| Malta, 2015–2025 | -7.7 points |
| Portugal, 2015–2025 | -7.4 points |
| Spain, 2015–2025 | -7.2 points |
Among young men, Portugal’s reduction was 8.4 points and Spain’s was 8.1 points. Germany’s early-leaver share among young men increased by 4.5 points. These are percentage-point changes, not percentage changes. (Source: Education and training statistics at regional level – 2026 edition.)
Gender
Young men had a 10.6% rate in 2025, versus 7.5% among young women, creating a 3.1-point EU gap. Spain’s gap was 6.4 points, Latvia’s 5.7, Malta’s 5.5 and Slovenia’s 5.2. Czechia’s difference was 0.2 points. Illes Balears had a 15.5-point gap.
Among 138 EU regions with data, 109 had a higher share among young men than young women. These figures describe the indicator; they do not explain why the gaps occurred. (Source: Education and training statistics at regional level – 2026 edition.)
After leaving
Employed people made up 46.2% of EU early leavers in 2025. Those not employed but wanting work made up 30.8%, while those not employed and not wanting work made up 23.1%. As shares of the entire 18–24 population, the figures were 4.2%, 2.8% and 2.1%.
| Situation | Early leavers | All ages 18–24 |
|---|---|---|
| Employed | 46.2% | 4.2% |
| Not employed, wanted work | 30.8% | 2.8% |
| Not employed, did not want work | 23.1% | 2.1% |
Nine EU countries reported at least half of early leavers employed. Lithuania had the highest share not employed, at 86.4%, followed by Slovakia at 77.9%. (Source: Education and training statistics at regional level – 2026 edition.)
Urbanisation
The 2025 EU rate was 8.0% in cities, 10.1% in towns and suburbs, and 9.6% in rural areas.
| Area | Rate, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Cities | 8.0% |
| Towns and suburbs | 10.1% |
| Rural areas | 9.6% |
These are geographic comparisons, not explanations of causes. They do not mean every city has a lower rate than every rural area. (Source: Education and training statistics at regional level – 2026 edition.)
Regions
Of 196 EU NUTS level 2 regions with available data, 100 were below the 9% target. Every region of Greece, Croatia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden was below it, and all but one Czechia region was below 9%.
Praha had the lowest reported share at 1.3% in 2024. In 2025, Jadranska Hrvatska was 2.0%, Sjeverna Hrvatska 2.3%, Voreia Elláda 2.1% and Attiki 2.4%.
Twenty regions had a share of at least 15.5% in 2025. Berlin was 15.7%, Guyane 25.5%, Sud-Est in Romania 25.1%, Região Autónoma dos Açores 21.1%, Región de Murcia 20.6%, and Mayotte had the highest share at 38.9%.
| Region | Share | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Praha | 1.3% | 2024 |
| Jadranska Hrvatska | 2.0% | 2025 |
| Voreia Elláda | 2.1% | 2025 |
| Berlin | 15.7% | 2025 |
| Región de Murcia | 20.6% | 2025 |
| Sud-Est, Romania | 25.1% | 2025 |
| Guyane | 25.5% | 2025 |
| Mayotte | 38.9% | 2025 |
Mayotte’s share was 38.2% among young men and 39.4% among young women. In 12 of 20 countries with regional data, the same region had the highest share for both sexes. Región de Murcia had a 12.3-point male–female gap and Guyane an 11.3-point gap.
Regional figures are NUTS-level estimates, and availability differs by region. They show geographic disparity, not a complete count of all school departures. (Source: Education and training statistics at regional level – 2026 edition.)
Reading the comparisons correctly
The headline EU rate and the regional rates answer related but different questions. The 9.1% figure describes people aged 18–24 across the EU, while the NUTS figures describe particular regional populations. The 14.2% lifetime figure covers ages 15–34 and records whether formal education or training was left at least once. It should therefore not be added to the 9.1% rate, and neither figure should be interpreted as a headcount without the relevant population denominator.
The country range also needs context. A rate of 2.1% in Croatia and a rate of 15.5% in Romania are both early-leaver shares measured for 2025. The Netherlands’ 32.2% and Denmark’s 27.1% are lifetime shares measured for 2024. Comparing them as though they were one ranking would mix two indicators. The regional comparison has a similar limitation: Praha’s 1.3% is reported for 2024, while the other examples in the regional table are 2025 values.
The employment breakdown adds another layer. A young person can be counted as an early leaver while employed, while seeking work, or while not employed and not wanting work. The 46.2% employed share is not the same as an employment rate for all young people. Likewise, the 30.8% and 23.1% categories describe early leavers, whereas 2.8% and 2.1% use the entire 18–24 population as their denominator.
The urbanisation figures should also be read as averages. Cities had an 8.0% rate, towns and suburbs 10.1%, and rural areas 9.6% in 2025. These categories describe place of residence and do not identify the institutional, economic or personal reasons behind leaving education. The regional estimates demonstrate why a single national or EU average cannot describe every local setting.
Finally, regional availability matters. The comparison of 100 regions below the target uses the 196 NUTS level 2 regions with available data, not every possible region worldwide or every person who left school. The figures are best used with their measurement date, geography and definition attached. (Source: Education and training statistics at regional level – 2026 edition.)