Romania recorded the highest early school leaving rate in the European Union, at 15.5%, while the EU average was 9.1% in 2025.

The proportion of young people aged between 18 and 24 who leave school early in the European Union has reached 9.1%, approaching the target of 9.0% set for the year 2030, according to Eurostat data. The lowest dropout rates were recorded in Croatia, Greece, Ireland, and Poland, where the values were at most 4%. On the other hand, Romania recorded the highest proportion, at 15.5%, followed by Germany (13.1%) and Spain (12.8%). In total, 17 member states have already reached the European target of 9%. Differences are also observed based on gender: the early school dropout rate was 10.6% among men and 7.5% among women. Young people who leave education before completing their studies face greater difficulties in the labor market, with only 46.2% of them being employed. From a territorial perspective, the lowest levels of the phenomenon were reported in large cities (8.0%), compared to small towns and suburbs (10.1%) and rural areas (9.6%). In 2025, this data was published by Eurostat as part of the monitoring of progress towards the educational objectives of the European Union.