Participation Rate Dutch Youth in Education Above European Average

Relative to other European countries, more young people in the Netherlands partake in some form of education. The number of young people leaving school without a basic qualification* is also below the European Union (EU) average.

Substantial part of young Dutch population still partake in some form of education

 
A substantial part of 15 to 25-year-olds in the EU still attend school. In the EU27, an average of 60 percent of 15 to 25-year-olds were still taking some form of education in 2006/’07, as against 68 percent in the Netherlands. The percentage is also high in neighboring countries like Belgium and Germany, but Finland tops the list with 71 percent of 15 to 25-year-olds still participating in education.
 

Too many young leave school prematurely

 
In the EU15, 17 percent of 18 to 25-year-olds did not have a basic qualification* in 2007 as opposed to 20 percent in 2000. In the Netherlands, the percentage of young people leaving school without basic qualification is below the average in the EU15. It has dropped from 16 percent in 2000 to 12 percent in 2007. The EU, in its Lisbon Declaration, has agreed to reduce the number of young people leaving school without a basic qualification by half over the period 2000–2010.
 

Proportion of 18 to 25-year-olds without basic qualification* in EU 15

 

 

Nearly 140 million young people in the EU27

 
Last year, there were nearly 140 million people in the age category 0–25 in the 27 countries constituting the EU. They made up 28 percent of the total population in the EU 27. With 30 percent, the proportion of people under the age of 25 is marginally higher in the Netherlands. In neighboring country Germany, the rate of under-25s is relatively low (25 percent). 
 

People in the age category 0-25 in the EU by country, 2008

 
 
 
* A basic qualification is a diploma or degree of at least secondary school level (havo, vwo or mbo level 2 in the Netherlands). These levels are seen as the minimum requirement to embark successfully on a labor market career.
 
 
This article is sourced from Statistics Netherlands - www.cbs.nl .