Greece Achieves Remarkable Low in Early School Leavers, Among Lowest in EU

Greece has achieved a significant milestone in reducing the number of early school leavers, with only 3.7% of young people aged 18-24 leaving education and training early in 2023, according to recent data from Eurostat. This places Greece among the top EU countries with the lowest rates of early school leavers, alongside Croatia (2.0%) and Poland (3.7%).

The European Union’s overall share of early school leavers in 2023 was 9.5%, reflecting a steady decline from 11.8% in 2013. This progress brings EU member states closer to the collective target of reducing early school leaver rates to below 9.0% by 2030.

Greece’s achievement is particularly notable in comparison to countries like Romania, Spain, Germany, and Hungary, which reported the highest shares of early leavers at 16.6%, 13.7%, 12.8%, and 11.6%, respectively.

The data also highlight gender disparities in early school leaving, with more young men leaving education and training early than women across the EU. In 2023, 11.3% of young men left early compared to 7.7% of young women. However, in Greece, the difference between genders was minimal, with a difference of only ±0.2 percentage points.

Over the past decade, Greece has shown a consistent effort in reducing early school leaving rates, aligning with the EU’s educational targets and demonstrating significant progress in its education system. This achievement underscores Greece’s commitment to education and its success in implementing policies that support students in completing their education and training.

(Source: Eurostat)