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Education and Training Monitor 2021
Overview on EU-level targets in education and training
The Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) has defined a series of reference levels of European average performance in education and training (‘EU-level targets’) that should support the strategic priorities outlined in the Resolution.
A periodic monitoring of progress towards the set objectives is ensured through systematic collection and analysis of internationally comparable data and provides an essential contribution towards evidence-informed policy making.
The Member States agree to the following seven EU-level targets to be reached: you will find below a description of each of them, the EU and national related data and a short analysis (data for the seven targets is also available in a multilingual Excel file and on the Eurostat dedicated page with updated and customizable datasets, charts and maps)
BEST EU PERFORMERS:
Reading: Estonia, Ireland, Finland
Maths: Estonia, Poland, Denmark
Science: Estonia, Finland, Poland
2018 | Trend | 2018 | Trend | 2018 | Trend | |
Reading | Maths | Science | ||||
EU | 22,5 | 2,8 | 22,9 | 0,2 | 22,3 | 4,5 |
Belgium | 21,3 | 3,6 | 19,7 | 0,6 | 20,0 | 2,0 |
Bulgaria | 47,1 | 6,1 | 44,4 | -2,7 | 46,5 | 7,7 |
Czechia | 20,7 | -2,4 | 20,4 | -2,0 | 18,8 | 1,5 |
Denmark | 16,0 | 0,8 | 14,6 | -2,5 | 18,7 | 2,1 |
Germany | 20,7 | 2,2 | 21,1 | 2,4 | 19,6 | 4,8 |
Estonia | 11,1 | -2,2 | 10,2 | -2,5 | 8,8 | 0,5 |
Ireland | 11,8 | -5,4 | 15,7 | -5,2 | 17,0 | 1,8 |
Greece | 30,5 | 9,2 | 35,8 | 5,4 | 31,7 | 6,4 |
Spain | 23,2 | 3,6 | 24,7 | 0,9 | 21,3 | 3,1 |
France | 20,9 | 1,1 | 21,3 | -1,2 | 20,5 | 1,2 |
Croatia | 21,6 | -0,8 | 31,2 | -2,0 | 25,4 | 6,9 |
Italy | 23,3 | 2,3 | 23,8 | -1,2 | 25,9 | 5,3 |
Cyprus | 43,7 | : | 36,9 | : | 39,0 | : |
Latvia | 22,4 | 4,8 | 17,3 | -5,3 | 18,5 | 3,8 |
Lithuania | 24,4 | 0,0 | 25,6 | -0,8 | 22,2 | 5,2 |
Luxembourg | 29,3 | 3,3 | 27,2 | 3,3 | 26,8 | 3,1 |
Hungary | 25,3 | 7,7 | 25,6 | 3,3 | 24,1 | 10,0 |
Malta | 35,9 | -0,4 | 30,2 | -3,5 | 33,5 | 1,0 |
Netherlands | 24,1 | 9,8 | 15,8 | 2,4 | 20,0 | 6,8 |
Austria | 23,6 | : | 21,1 | : | 21,9 | : |
Poland | 14,7 | -0,3 | 14,7 | -5,8 | 13,8 | 0,7 |
Portugal | 20,2 | 2,6 | 23,3 | -0,5 | 19,6 | 3,1 |
Romania | 40,8 | 0,4 | 46,6 | -0,4 | 43,9 | 2,5 |
Slovenia | 17,9 | -3,3 | 16,4 | -4,0 | 14,6 | -0,2 |
Slovakia | 31,4 | 9,2 | 25,1 | 4,1 | 29,3 | 10,0 |
Finland | 13,5 | 5,4 | 15,0 | 7,1 | 12,9 | 6,9 |
Sweden | 18,4 | 1,0 | 18,8 | -2,3 | 19,0 | -0,1 |
Iceland | 26,4 | 9,6 | 20,7 | 3,7 | 25,0 | 7,1 |
Norway | 19,3 | 4,3 | 18,9 | 0,7 | 20,8 | 5,0 |
Switzerland | 23,6 | 6,8 | 16,8 | 3,3 | 20,2 | 6,2 |
Montenegro | 44,4 | -5,1 | 46,2 | -12,3 | 48,2 | -5,4 |
North Macedonia | 55,1 | : | 61,0 | : | 49,5 | : |
Serbia | 37,7 | 4,9 | 39,7 | -0,9 | 38,3 | 3,9 |
Turkey | 26,1 | 1,6 | 36,7 | -5,5 | 25,2 | -4,8 |
Source: OECD (PISA 2009, 2018).
Notes: underachievement means failing Level 2 on the PISA scale for reading, mathematics or science . The trend depicted refers to the 2009-2018 change in percentage points. The comparability of PISA 2018 data on reading for Spain with those from earlier PISA assessments cannot be fully ensured. See section 2.2.1 of the Education and Training Monitor 2021 for more information (ec.europa.eu/education/monitor).
BEST EU PERFORMERS:Czechia, Denmark, Poland
Year | Low achievers | Boys | Girls | |
Czechia | 2013 | 15,0 | 17,3 | 12,8 |
Denmark | 2018 | 16,2 | 21,6 | 10,7 |
2013 | 21,4 | 24,1 | 18,6 | |
Germany | 2018 | 33,2 | 36,5 | 29,6 |
2013 | 29,2 | 32,9 | 25,3 | |
France | 2018 | 43,5 | 49,2 | 37,8 |
Croatia | 2013 | 35,9 | 40,0 | 31,6 |
Lithuania | 2013 | 45,1 | 49,1 | 40,9 |
Luxembourg | 2018 | 50,6 | 55,4 | 45,0 |
Netherlands | 2013 | 26,4 | 29,9 | 22,5 |
Poland | 2013 | 25,3 | 27,6 | 23,0 |
Portugal | 2018 | 33,5 | 36,0 | 30,8 |
Slovenia | 2013 | 35,8 | 44,1 | 27,2 |
Slovakia | 2013 | 32,8 | 36,3 | 29,3 |
Finland | 2018 | 27,3 | 33,7 | 20,7 |
Norway | 2013 | 24,0 | : | : |
Source: IEA (ICILS 2013, 2018).
Notes: Underachievement is defined as performance below the level 2 threshold (492 score points) on the ICILS computer and information literacy scale. Italy participated in ICILS 2018, but the testing took place at the beginning of the school year and results are not comparable with those of other countries and are not shown. For country notes, see Table 3.4 in the respective international reports for ICILS 2013 and ICILS 2018.
BEST EU PERFORMERS: France, Ireland, Belgium
MOST PROGRESS 2013-2019: Cyprus, Ireland, Poland
2019 | Trend | 2019 | ||
Total | Age 3 | Age 4+ | ||
EU | 92,8 | 1,0 | 87,8 | 95,1 |
Belgium | 98,3 | 0,0 | 97,9 | 98,5 |
Bulgaria | 79,9 | -3,9 | 71,6 | 82,7 |
Czechia | 86,3 | 9,5 | 77,6 | 90,7 |
Denmark | 97,7 | 0,1 | 96,5 | 98,3 |
Germany | 94,0 | -1,8 | 90,4 | 95,8 |
Estonia | 91,5 | 1,9 | 87,3 | 92,9 |
Ireland | 100,0e | 17,6 | 99,2e | 100,0e |
Greece | 68,8 | -16,5 | 34,9 | 85,6 |
Spain | 97,3 | 0,7 | 96,1 | 97,8 |
France | 100,0p | 0,0 | 100,0p | 100,0p |
Croatia | 79,4 | 11,8 | 71,5 | 81,8 |
Italy | 93,6 | -3,7 | 91,1 | 94,8 |
Cyprus | 90,1 | 20,7 | 76,0 | 97,0 |
Latvia | 94,1 | 2,8 | 89,1 | 95,9 |
Lithuania | 89,6 | 6,2 | 84,5 | 91,3 |
Luxembourg | 88,4 | -1,5 | 69,0 | 97,9 |
Hungary | 92,9 | 4,6 | 87,2 | 95,8 |
Malta | 91,9 | -7,5 | 89,0 | 94,9 |
Netherlands | 90,5 | -3,6 | 76,9 | 97,2 |
Austria | 89,9 | 3,4 | 77,8 | 96,0 |
Poland | 90,3e | 13,9 | 77,6e | 94,5e |
Portugal | 92,2d | 3,5 | 83,7d | 96,6 |
Romania | 78,6 | -5,5 | 71,0 | 82,3 |
Slovenia | 92,1 | 4,2 | 89,1 | 93,6 |
Slovakia | 77,8 | 5,5 | 69,3 | 82,6 |
Finland | 88,8 | 8,8 | 80,4 | 91,4 |
Sweden | 95,6 | 0,6 | 93,4 | 96,3 |
Iceland | 96,8 | 0,7 | 96,3 | 97,0 |
Norway | 97,1 | 0,4 | 96,4 | 97,4 |
Switzerland | 49,4 | 2,7 | 2,4 | 73,3 |
Montenegro | : | : | : | : |
North Macedonia | 42,3 | 12,6 | 34,8 | 45,9 |
Serbia | 67,3 | 4,2 | 57,3 | : |
Turkey | 43,2 | : | 10,7 | 59,6 |
Source: Eurostat (UOE), online data code [educ_uoe_enra21]; educ_uoe_enra20 (age 3); educ_uoe_enra10 (age 4+)].
Notes: the age for starting compulsory primary education is different from country to country. See Section 2.3 of the Education and Training Monitor 2021 for more information (ec.europa.eu/education/monitor). The trend depicted refers to the 2013-2019 change in percentage points.
BEST EU PERFORMERS: Croatia, Greece, Slovenia
MOST PROGRESS 2010-2020: Portugal, Spain, Greece
2020 | Trend | 2020 | ||
Total | Males | Females | ||
EU | 9,9 | -3,9 | 11,8 | 8,0 |
Belgium | 8,1 | -3,8 | 10,2 | 5,9 |
Bulgaria | 12,8 | 0,2 | 13,4 | 12,1 |
Czechia | 7,6 | 2,7 | 7,5 | 7,6 |
Denmark | 9,3 | -2,2 | 11,7 | 6,8 |
Germany | 10,1bp | -1,7 | 11,8bp | 8,3bp |
Estonia | 7,5 | -3,5 | 9,2 | 5,8 |
Ireland | 5,0 | -6,9 | 5,4 | 4,7 |
Greece | 3.8 | -9.7 | 4,4 | 3,1 |
Spain | 16,0 | -12,2 | 20,2 | 11,6 |
France | 8,0 | -4,7 | 9,7 | 6,3 |
Croatia | 2,2u | -3,0 | 2,4u | 2,0u |
Italy | 13,1 | -5,5 | 15,6 | 10,4 |
Cyprus | 11,5 | -1,2 | 15,0 | 8,4 |
Latvia | 7,2 | -5,7 | 9,5 | 4,7 |
Lithuania | 5,6 | -2,3 | 7,7 | 3,4u |
Luxembourg | 8,2 | 1,1 | 10,7 | 5,7 |
Hungary | 12,1 | 1,3 | 12,9 | 11,3 |
Malta | 12,6 | -8,8 | 14,7 | 10,2 |
Netherlands | 7,0 | -3,1 | 8,7 | 5,3 |
Austria | 8,1 | -0,2 | 10,0 | 6,3 |
Poland | 5,4 | 0,0 | 7,0 | 3,7 |
Portugal | 8,9 | -19,4 | 12,6 | 5,1 |
Romania | 15,6 | -3,7 | 14,7 | 16,6 |
Slovenia | 4,1 | -0,9 | 4,6u | 3,4u |
Slovakia | 7,6 | 2,9 | 7,7 | 7,4 |
Finland | 8,2 | -2,1 | 9,4 | 7,0 |
Sweden | 7,7 | 1,2 | 9,0 | 6,3 |
Iceland | 14,8b | -7,8 | 17,8b | 11,6b |
Norway | 9,9 | -7,5 | 11,6 | 8,0 |
Switzerland | 4,0 | -2,7 | 4,7 | 3,3 |
Montenegro | 3,6 | : | : | : |
North Macedonia | 5,7 | -9,8 | 5,7 | 5,8 |
Serbia | 5,6 | -2,7 | 5,4 | 5,8 |
Turkey | 26,7 | -16,4 | 27,5 | 25,8 |
Source: Eurostat (EU-LFS), online data code [edat_lfse_14].
Notes: the indicator covers 18 to 24 year-olds with ISCED 2 at most and who are no longer in formal or non-formal education and training. The trend depicted refers to the 2010-2020 change in percentage points.
BEST EU PERFORMERS: Luxembourg, Ireland, Cyprus
MOST PROGRESS 2010-2020: Austria, Luxembourg, Portugal
2020 | Trend | 2020 | ||
Total | Males | Females | ||
EU | 40,5 | 8,3 | 35,2 | 46,0 |
Belgium | 48,5 | 4,7 | 40,8 | 56,2 |
Bulgaria | 33,0 | 5,5 | 27,2 | 39,1 |
Czechia | 33,0 | 10,4 | 26,1 | 40,4 |
Denmark | 47,1 | 9,5 | 39,0 | 55,5 |
Germany | 35,1bp | 9,1 | 33,9bp | 36,4bp |
Estonia | 43,1 | 4,9 | 32,7 | 54,7 |
Ireland | 58,4 | 8,8 | 54,5 | 62,2 |
Greece | 43,7 | 13,1 | 36,7 | 51,0 |
Spain | 47,4 | 7,1 | 41,3 | 53,5 |
France | 49,4 | 6,7 | 45,9 | 52,8 |
Croatia | 36,6 | 10,8 | 27,5 | 45,8 |
Italy | 28,9 | 8,1 | 22,9 | 35,0 |
Cyprus | 57,8 | 9,7 | 47,3 | 67,8 |
Latvia | 44,2 | 9,5 | 33,8 | 55,3 |
Lithuania | 56,2 | 9,9 | 45,6 | 68,1 |
Luxembourg | 60,6 | 16,4 | 55,0 | 66,3 |
Hungary | 30,7 | 4,6 | 25,3 | 36,4 |
Malta | 40,1 | 15,8 | 36,3 | 44,7 |
Netherlands | 52,3 | 12,0 | 47,5 | 57,1 |
Austria | 41,4 | 20,7 | 37,3 | 45,7 |
Poland | 42,4 | 5,3 | 32,7 | 52,6 |
Portugal | 41,9 | 16,4 | 34,6 | 49,0 |
Romania | 24,9 | 4,2 | 21,7 | 28,3 |
Slovenia | 45,4 | 14,1 | 35,8 | 56,6 |
Slovakia | 39,0 | 15,0 | 29,3 | 49,2 |
Finland | 43,8 | 4,6 | 35,9 | 52,2 |
Sweden | 49,2 | 6,9 | 40,6 | 58,3 |
Iceland | 41,7b | 5,5 | 34,0b | 50,4b |
Norway | 50,9 | 5,9 | 41,7 | 60,6 |
Switzerland | 53,0 | 15,6 | 50,8 | 55,3 |
Montenegro | 40,4 | : | 35,9 | 45,0 |
North Macedonia | 37,7 | 15,9 | 31,6 | 44,1 |
Serbia | 32,6 | 13,7 | 26,1 | 39,3 |
Turkey | 36,2 | 19,4 | 35,5 | 36,8 |
Source: Eurostat (EU-LFS), online data code [edat_lfse_03].
Notes: the indicator covers 25 to 34 year-olds having successfully completed ISCED 5 to 8. The trend depicted refers to the 2010-2020 change in percentage points.
The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the already slow progress in adult learning in the EU. The pandemic did, however, add momentum to adult learning as a policy objective. Member States have agreed on an EEA target of at least 47% adult learning by 2025. When endorsing the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan at the 2021 Porto Summit, a 2030 target of 60% was added to that. Both targets are based on a new approach to measuring adult learning, which will first be applied in 2022.
Participation in adult learning was a target in previous EU strategic frameworks for cooperation in education and training, but always focused on the narrow window of four weeks preceding the survey . The current EU-level target, on the other hand, refers to the twelve months preceding the survey.
The twelve-month reference period makes it possible to cover all learning experiences, providing an overview of adult participation in learning closer to today’s reality. Indeed, it has become more and more common for adults to attend (very) short courses, seminars and other learning experiences, provided in-company, on the market or by authorities at several levels and a variety of providers, from specialised centres to social partners and civil society organisations. Such participation may not be accounted for when applying the four week window, but the shift to a twelve month window is likely to capture it.
General notes
The percentage point trends and progress shown in this leaflet are calculated with 1-decimal figures and do not exclude any intermediate breaks in series.
:=data either not available or not reliable due to very small sample size
b=break in time series
d=definition differs
e=estimate
p=provisional
u=low reliability
EU-Level targets
Reference levels of European average performance in education and training defined in the Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) adopted in February 2021.
ISCED: International Standard Classification of Education (2011)
0 Early childhood education
1 Primary education
2 Lower secondary education
3 Upper secondary education
4 Post-secondary non-tertiary education
5 Short-cycle tertiary education
6 Bachelor’s or equivalent level
7 Master’s or equivalent level
8 Doctoral or equivalent level
Member States that have reached the EU-level target for the given year
For further descriptions, analysis and notes see the Education and Training Monitor 2021 (ec.europa.eu/education/monitor)