Almost 45% of people aged 25 – 34 in the EU had completed tertiary education in 2025, up from just over 27% in 2005.
The share of young adults with a tertiary qualification rose to 44.8% in 2025 from 27.2% in 2005 — an increase of 17.6 percentage points, Eurostat reported on Thursday.
The 2025 figure is close to the EU’s target of at least 45% by 2030, set under the European Education Area strategic framework.
Women were more likely than men to hold a tertiary degree in 2025, with attainment at 50.5% for women compared with 39.3% for men.
Education levels also varied by where people lived. More than half of 25 – 34-year-olds living in cities had a tertiary qualification (55.0%), compared with 38.4% in towns and suburbs and 32.9% in rural areas.
Biggest rises in Malta, Luxembourg and Ireland
Tertiary education attainment increased in every EU country between 2005 and 2025, Eurostat said.
The largest increases over the period were recorded in Malta (+29.9 percentage points), Luxembourg (+28.0) and Ireland (+25.9), while the smallest were in Finland (+0.7), Romania (+9.5) and Estonia (+11.2).
Eurostat said tertiary educational attainment is one of the indicators used to monitor Sustainable Development Goal 4 — a UN goal on “quality education” that tracks access to education and skills for work.
