Tertiary education and employment in Europe, 2025
Each point is one country: tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 34 across and employment rate, ages 20 to 64 up, both for 2025. 34 countries have both values. A pattern shows that two measures go together; it does not show that one causes the other.
What the plot shows
- Across the 34 countries, higher values of tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 34 tend to go with higher values of employment rate, ages 20 to 64. The correlation is 0.40, a weak relationship.
- Furthest above the overall pattern (a higher employment rate, ages 20 to 64 than the pattern suggests): Iceland, Czechia, Hungary.
- Furthest below it: Türkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia.
The correlation runs from −1 to 1. It is calculated from the values in the table, on logarithms where an axis uses a logarithmic scale, and shows how closely the points follow a straight line, not cause and effect.
The chart loads when you scroll to it.
Colours show World Bank regions.
Values for 2025
| Country | Tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 34 | Employment rate, ages 20 to 64 |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | 43.7% | 77.6% |
| Belgium | 52.7% | 72.8% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 27.5% | 59.5% |
| Bulgaria | 41.2% | 77.0% |
| Croatia | 42.0% | 74.4% |
| Cyprus | 60.0% | 81.3% |
| Czechia | 36.0% | 82.9% |
| Denmark | 52.5% | 79.8% |
| Estonia | 44.3% | 81.7% |
| Finland | 38.2% | 76.3% |
| France | 55.8% | 75.4% |
| Germany | 40.9% | 81.1% |
| Greece | 42.8% | 71.0% |
| Hungary | 32.6% | 81.1% |
| Iceland | 44.8% | 85.8% |
| Ireland | 66.8% | 80.2% |
| Italy | 31.1% | 67.6% |
| Latvia | 44.7% | 78.2% |
| Lithuania | 60.8% | 80.0% |
| Luxembourg | 65.2% | 73.6% |
| Malta | 47.7% | 83.6% |
| Netherlands | 56.1% | 83.4% |
| North Macedonia | 35.9% | 63.7% |
| Norway | 56.8% | 79.5% |
| Poland | 45.2% | 78.8% |
| Portugal | 42.5% | 79.6% |
| Romania | 23.0% | 69.0% |
| Serbia | 37.1% | 71.6% |
| Slovakia | 36.3% | 78.1% |
| Slovenia | 42.8% | 78.3% |
| Spain | 52.5% | 72.4% |
| Sweden | 53.6% | 81.8% |
| Switzerland | 50.6% | 82.4% |
| Türkiye | 44.8% | 58.1% |
Tertiary education attainment, ages 25 to 34
People aged 25 to 34 who have completed tertiary education (ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8: short-cycle, bachelor, master or doctoral), as a share of all people of that age.
Source: Eurostat
Employment rate, ages 20 to 64
Employed people aged 20 to 64 as a share of the total population of the same age, based on the EU Labour Force Survey.
Source: Eurostat