BRUSSELS: The European Union has made notable progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on quality education, with fresh data showing that more young Europeans than ever are completing higher education.
According to Eurostat, the tertiary education attainment rate among people aged 25 to 34 reached 44.1% in 2024, up from 39.6% in 2019. The growth indicates that the EU is on track to meet its European Education Area 2030 target of raising tertiary attainment to at least 45%.
Ireland (65.2%), Luxembourg (63.8%) and Cyprus (60.1%) reported the highest attainment rates, reflecting strong investment in education and skill-building. By contrast, Romania (23.2%), Italy (31.6%) and Hungary (32.3%) recorded the lowest levels, underscoring persistent regional disparities.
The data also highlights a significant gender divide. Women across the EU consistently outperformed men, with an attainment rate of 49.8% compared with 38.6% for men. The gap exceeded 20 percentage points in several member states, including Slovenia (55.7% for women vs 32.0% for men), Latvia (56.8% vs 33.9%), Estonia (53.9% vs 32.3%) and Croatia (50.1% vs 29.6%).
Experts say these trends underline both progress and challenges: while Europe is edging closer to its 2030 goals, the stark gender imbalance and wide variations between countries highlight the need for targeted policies. Efforts to align education with labour market demands will also be crucial to ensuring young people gain the skills needed for decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
