EUROSTAT Statistics on Education and Training
EUROSTAT provides in depth, up-to-date statistics regarding education and training in the EU. A particular page on Education and Training provides information regarding learning mobility, participation in education, education personnel, language learning and various other areas of interest.
Of particular interest are statistics detailing adult education in the EU. With the COVID-19 pandemic, education and training have seen vast developments in how they are taught and how they take place. EUROSTAT provides insight into various aspects of adult education, demonstrating crucial shifts in trends through the decade, from participation rates of adults in learning over any given year, to participation in informal learning activities and providers of non-formal education and training activities. These data provide the necessary insights into various intersecting issues at the EU level.
There are a few key facts to take away from the data. First, it is evident that the end of 2021 saw a rise in adult participation in education and training programmes for those aged 25-64. Specifically, participation saw a rise of 1.7 percentage points (pp) higher than the corresponding time in 2020. This is speculated to be a result of economic recovery from COVID-19. Nevertheless, while an increase from 2020, the participation rate of 2021 was on par with pre-pandemic levels.
Another key factor to understand regards discrepancies amongst EU member states. While some have maintained and even boosted adult participation in education and training, other member states have struggled to keep this demographic engaged. Moreover, interestingly, in 2021, women recorded higher participation rates than men in almost all EU Member States (with Germany, Romania, Cyprus and Greece being the exception).
What do these facts tell us about the state of adult participation in education and training? A lot. EUROSTAT provides in depth and all encompassing data on the state of adult learning in the EU, and in a moment where post-COVID economic recovery is at the forefront of the stage, these statistics are crucial in understanding how to keep adults engaged and participating in lifelong learning.
