Early leavers from formal education by labour status by country
Countries reporting
47
Highest
18.9%
Iceland
Lowest
2.2%
Croatia
Median
8.4%
Years covered
22
2004–2025
Data points
1,016
What the numbers show
Early leavers from formal education by labour status is currently reported for 47 countries. The highest value is 18.9% in Iceland; the lowest is 2.2% in Croatia.
The median across all reporting countries is 8.4%, and the mean is 8.5%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 9.
Over the past decade 13 countries rose and 33 fell. The largest increase was in Cyprus (up 87.0%), and the largest decrease in Norway (down 64.5%).
Early leavers from formal education by labour status: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 18.9% | 2025 | down 10.4% | falling |
| 2 | Türkiye | 18.2% | 2025 | down 50.3% | falling |
| 3 | Romania | 15.8% | 2025 | down 17.3% | falling |
| 4 | Spain | 14.6% | 2025 | down 33.6% | falling |
| 5 | Germany | 13.7% | 2025 | up 31.7% | flat |
| 6 | Denmark | 13.2% | 2025 | up 25.7% | falling |
| 7 | Austria | 11.8% | 2025 | up 40.5% | falling |
| 8 | Estonia | 11.7% | 2025 | down 16.4% | falling |
| 8 | Estonia | 11.7% | 2025 | down 16.4% | falling |
| 10 | United Kingdom | 11.6% | 2019 | down 34.1% | falling |
| 10 | United Kingdom | 11.6% | 2019 | down 34.1% | falling |
| 12 | Finland | 10.9% | 2025 | up 10.1% | falling |
| 13 | Hungary | 10.4% | 2025 | down 16.8% | flat |
| 14 | Cyprus | 10.1% | 2025 | up 87.0% | falling |
| 15 | North Macedonia | 9.5% | 2025 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 15 | North Macedonia | 9.5% | 2025 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 17 | Latvia | 9.3% | 2025 | down 8.8% | falling |
| 17 | Latvia | 9.3% | 2025 | down 8.8% | falling |
| 19 | Malta | 9.2% | 2025 | down 46.2% | falling |
| 20 | Italy | 8.9% | 2025 | down 41.1% | falling |
| 21 | Bulgaria | 8.6% | 2025 | down 35.8% | falling |
| 21 | Sweden | 8.6% | 2025 | down 2.3% | falling |
| 23 | Netherlands | 8.4% | 2025 | down 9.7% | falling |
| 23 | Netherlands | 8.4% | 2025 | down 9.7% | falling |
| 25 | France | 8.2% | 2025 | down 22.6% | falling |
| 26 | Belgium | 8.0% | 2025 | down 23.8% | falling |
| 27 | Slovakia | 7.0% | 2025 | up 1.4% | rising |
| 27 | Slovakia | 7.0% | 2025 | up 1.4% | rising |
| 29 | Portugal | 6.9% | 2025 | down 53.1% | volatile |
| 30 | Slovenia | 6.7% | 2025 | up 31.4% | flat |
| 30 | Slovenia | 6.7% | 2025 | up 31.4% | flat |
| 32 | Czechia | 6.5% | 2025 | up 1.6% | rising |
| 33 | Switzerland | 6.1% | 2025 | up 3.4% | falling |
| 33 | Lithuania | 6.1% | 2025 | up 10.9% | falling |
| 33 | Lithuania | 6.1% | 2025 | up 10.9% | falling |
| 36 | Luxembourg | 5.6% | 2025 | down 43.4% | falling |
| 37 | Poland | 5.2% | 2025 | down 3.7% | flat |
| 37 | Poland | 5.2% | 2025 | down 3.7% | flat |
| 39 | Serbia | 5.1% | 2025 | down 32.0% | falling |
| 39 | Serbia | 5.1% | 2025 | down 32.0% | falling |
| 41 | Norway | 4.3% | 2025 | down 64.5% | falling |
| 42 | Ireland | 3.9% | 2025 | down 43.5% | falling |
| 43 | Montenegro | 3.6% | 2020 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 44 | Greece | 3.1% | 2025 | down 61.2% | volatile |
| 45 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3.0% | 2025 | — | falling |
| 46 | Croatia | 2.2% | 2025 | down 21.4% | falling |
| 46 | Croatia | 2.2% | 2025 | down 21.4% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.