Employment rates by educational attainment level and citizenship by country
Countries reporting
45
Highest
72.3%
Iceland
Lowest
43.2%
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Median
57.9%
Years covered
31
1995–2025
Data points
1,285
What the numbers show
Employment rates by educational attainment level and citizenship is currently reported for 45 countries. The highest value is 72.3% in Iceland; the lowest is 43.2% in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The median across all reporting countries is 57.9%, and the mean is 56.8%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 41 countries rose and 3 fell. The largest increase was in Malta (up 24.1%), and the largest decrease in Iceland (down 9.3%).
Employment rates by educational attainment level and citizenship: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 72.3% | 2025 | down 9.3% | falling |
| 2 | Netherlands | 66.0% | 2025 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 2 | Netherlands | 66.0% | 2025 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 4 | Malta | 65.4% | 2025 | up 24.1% | rising |
| 5 | Switzerland | 64.1% | 2025 | down 1.2% | flat |
| 6 | Ireland | 63.1% | 2025 | up 13.3% | rising |
| 7 | Norway | 62.6% | 2025 | up 0.6% | falling |
| 8 | Cyprus | 62.3% | 2025 | up 17.5% | flat |
| 9 | Sweden | 61.6% | 2025 | up 2.7% | rising |
| 10 | Estonia | 61.5% | 2025 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 10 | Estonia | 61.5% | 2025 | up 5.9% | rising |
| 12 | Denmark | 61.0% | 2025 | up 6.1% | falling |
| 13 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 60.9% | 2019 | up 5.4% | flat |
| 13 | United Kingdom | 60.9% | 2019 | up 5.4% | flat |
| 15 | Czechia | 59.3% | 2025 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 15 | Germany | 59.3% | 2025 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 17 | Hungary | 58.8% | 2025 | up 15.3% | rising |
| 18 | Lithuania | 58.7% | 2025 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 18 | Lithuania | 58.7% | 2025 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 20 | Austria | 58.3% | 2025 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 21 | Luxembourg | 58.2% | 2025 | up 3.9% | rising |
| 22 | Slovakia | 57.9% | 2025 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 22 | Slovakia | 57.9% | 2025 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 24 | Latvia | 57.4% | 2025 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 24 | Latvia | 57.4% | 2025 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 26 | Slovenia | 56.2% | 2025 | up 7.7% | flat |
| 26 | Poland | 56.2% | 2025 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 26 | Poland | 56.2% | 2025 | up 8.3% | rising |
| 26 | Slovenia | 56.2% | 2025 | up 7.7% | flat |
| 30 | Portugal | 55.8% | 2025 | up 9.0% | falling |
| 31 | Finland | 55.0% | 2025 | up 3.0% | flat |
| 32 | Bulgaria | 53.2% | 2025 | up 8.4% | rising |
| 33 | France | 52.6% | 2025 | up 4.8% | flat |
| 34 | Belgium | 52.5% | 2025 | up 7.6% | rising |
| 35 | Spain | 52.1% | 2025 | up 13.5% | rising |
| 36 | Croatia | 51.4% | 2025 | up 16.0% | rising |
| 36 | Croatia | 51.4% | 2025 | up 16.0% | rising |
| 38 | Serbia | 51.2% | 2025 | up 20.2% | rising |
| 39 | Türkiye | 49.1% | 2025 | up 6.7% | rising |
| 40 | Romania | 48.3% | 2025 | down 4.9% | falling |
| 41 | Greece | 48.2% | 2025 | up 23.6% | falling |
| 42 | Italy | 46.8% | 2025 | up 8.6% | rising |
| 43 | North Macedonia | 46.2% | 2025 | up 13.0% | rising |
| 44 | Montenegro | 43.8% | 2020 | up 12.3% | rising |
| 45 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 43.2% | 2025 | — | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.