New data from Eurostat reveals that in 2025, 9.1% of young Europeans aged 18 to 24 left education and training early, continuing a decade-long decline. The EU’s 2030 target is to bring this figure below 9%, and seventeen member states have already reached that goal. Yet the continental average masks stark disparities: Croatia reported just 2.1% early leavers, while Romania’s rate stood at 15.5%.
Gender and Geography Shape the Numbers
Across the Union, young men are more likely to drop out than young women. In 2025, 10.6% of men left education early compared to 7.5% of women. Both figures have improved since 2015, when the rates were 12.5% and 9.4% respectively.
Geography also plays a role. In cities, only 8% of young people left school early, compared to 10.1% in suburbs and 9.6% in rural areas. The highest rural dropout rates were recorded in Romania, Bulgaria, and Denmark. In towns and suburbs, young Romanians, Spaniards, and Germans were most likely to stop their education after lower secondary school.
These regional differences reflect broader economic and social patterns. In countries with strong vocational training systems, such as Germany, early leaving can sometimes lead to apprenticeships, but the data suggests that many dropouts still face difficulties in the labour market.
Employment Outcomes for Early Leavers
Employment prospects for early leavers vary widely. In 2025, only 46.2% of all early leavers across the EU were employed. Nine countries—the Netherlands, Malta, Sweden, Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Germany, and Latvia—reported that half or more of their early leavers had jobs. In contrast, the highest shares of unemployed early leavers were found in Lithuania (86.4%), Slovakia (77.9%), Bulgaria (76.7%), and Croatia (76.2%).
The remaining 23.1% of early leavers were neither employed nor looking for work, a category that includes those caring for family or otherwise outside the labour force. These figures underscore the long-term risks of leaving education early, especially in regions with weak job markets.
EU policymakers have long recognised that early school leaving is both a symptom and a driver of inequality. The European Commission’s 2030 target is part of a broader push to improve social cohesion and economic resilience. However, as recent industrial action across Portugal, Italy, and Spain shows, education cuts and labour market pressures remain contentious issues.
The data also highlights the importance of targeted interventions. Countries like Croatia and Greece, which have low dropout rates, often combine strong social safety nets with accessible vocational pathways. Meanwhile, Romania and Bulgaria face structural challenges, including rural poverty and limited access to secondary education, that require sustained investment.
For Europe’s 27 member states, the path to the 2030 target is uneven. While the overall trend is positive, the gaps between countries and between urban and rural areas remind us that education policy must be tailored to local realities. As the EU continues to monitor progress, the focus will likely shift to the hardest-hit regions, where early leaving remains a barrier to both individual opportunity and collective prosperity.
