Luxembourg, 30/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - In thirty years, the education levels of the population have risen in all the EU countries. While, in 1999, less than half the people aged between 50 and 64 had completed higher secondary education, this proportion exceeds 70% for people aged between 25 and 29. It remains that, despite this improvement, close to one youth in five from 18 to 24 leaves school with at best having completed the lower secondary education in the Member States and the regions of the Union published Eurostat, last Monday.
In 1999, in the EU as a whole, 71% of youths between 25 and 29 years of age had at least completed their secondary studies, this proportion even exceeds 80% in the Scandinavian countries, in Germany and in Austria. On the other hand, Portugal (35%), Spain (58%) and Italy (60%) record the lowest rates. While, in 1999, only 48% of people aged between 50 and 64 had completed higher secondary education. Eurostat indicates that this rise in education levels, which is seen in all the Member States, has gone hand in hand with a fall in the gaps between them, the southern countries (Portugal, Greece, Italy and Spain) having experienced the fastest improvements.
The Community statistical office also noted that, in 1999, higher education diplomas represent on average 21% of the population aged between 25 and 64 years of age, Finland and Sweden clearly setting themselves apart with respective rates of 31 and 29%. On the other hand, Italy (10%), Portugal (10%) and Austria (11%) recorded the lowest rates. It must also be noted that, in the Union as a whole, the proportion of higher education graduates remains higher with men from 25 to 64 years of age (22%), than with women (19%).
Despite these increases in terms of training, in 1999, there remains a little more than 20% of European youths between 18 and 24 who have stopped their schooling at best at the end of lower secondary education, which, most of the time, corresponds to compulsory schooling limits. Major difference are nevertheless noted from one country to another: while in Austria and in the Scandinavian countries only one youth in ten leaves school at this level, it was the case for more than one youth out of four in Italy and Spain and close to half (46%) in Portugal. Moreover, the early end to schooling is more common with males between 18 and 24 than with girls.
Finally, differences in the level of education emerge more clearly at the regional level. For example, the percentage of people aged between 25 and 59 years of age only having finished the first level of secondary education varies less than 10% in the new German Lander to 80% and more in most of the Portuguese regions. In all the German, Austrian, Swedish, Danish and Finnish regions, less than one third of adults have not finished the lower level of secondary education, while it is more than half in nearly all the Italian, Greek, Spanish and Portuguese regions.