Greece has the lowest adult learning participation rate in the European Union, according to new data from Eurostat. Only 5.2% of Greek adults aged 25 to 64 reported taking part in formal or non-formal education and training in the four weeks before being surveyed in 2025, the smallest share among the bloc’s 27 member states.
The adult learning indicator forms part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, which calls for equal access to quality education at every stage of life.
Greece’s adult learning participation trails the Euro area
The result reflects an increase from 3.3% in 2015, but Greece’s adult learning participation rose by just 1.9 percentage points over the decade, one of the smallest gains recorded in the EU.
That leaves Greece far behind the EU average of 13.7%, which climbed from 10.1% in 2015. The euro area, made up of 21 countries that use the single currency, reported a similar average of 13.5% in 2025, up from 10.6% a decade earlier.
In 2025, 13.7% of the people in the EU aged 25 to 64 received formal or non-formal education and training in the 4 weeks before the survey. 📚✍️
Highest in:
🇸🇪 Sweden (38.2%)
🇩🇰 Denmark (31.0%)Lowest in:
🇬🇷Greece (5.2%)
🇧🇬Bulgaria (6.1%)Read more 👉https://t.co/qmNrOqWDj0 pic.twitter.com/dNj9ovE1KH
— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) September 14, 2026
Bulgaria posted the second-lowest rate at 6.1%, followed by Croatia at 6.5%. Sweden led the EU with 38.2% of adults engaged in learning activities, ahead of Denmark at 31.0% and Finland at 28.1%.
A decade of uneven progress across EU countries
Eurostat collects the figures through the EU Labour Force Survey, which tracks adults who took part in job-related or personal learning, whether through formal courses or informal training.
The agency reported steady growth across most member states between 2015 and 2025, interrupted only by a temporary drop in 2020 linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions that came with it.
Malta recorded the largest improvement over the period, gaining 12.3 percentage points, followed by Estonia with 11.9 points and Belgium with 11.1 points. Slovenia also saw a strong rise of 10.9 points.
Three countries moved the other way. France declined by 3.1 points, Luxembourg slipped 0.6 points, and Denmark fell 0.5 points, though Denmark still ranks among the strongest performers in Europe.
Learning gaps persist by gender and where people live
The data also point to gaps by gender and by where people live. Women reported a participation rate of 14.9% in 2025, compared with 12.4% for men, and their rate grew faster over the decade.
City dwellers were more likely to take part in learning, at 16.8%, than people living in towns, suburbs or rural areas, who reported 12.3% and 10.3%.
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