Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in European Union

European Union: Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in was 52.0% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
52.0%
Change on year
down 0.7%
Rank
2nd
of 2 regions
All-time high
52.7%
in 2015
All-time low
41.2%
in 1997
Years of data
23
1997–2019

Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in European Union, 1997–2019

02040601997200820191997: 41.2 %1998: 49 %1999: 45.8 %2000: 50.5 %2001: 50.2 %2002: 50.3 %2003: 51.6 %2004: 46.1 %2005: 46.2 %2006: 49.1 %2007: 49.3 %2008: 50 %2009: 50.7 %2010: 50.4 %2011: 51.1 %2012: 51.5 %2013: 50.9 %2014: 51.9 %2015: 52.7 %2016: 52.6 %2017: 52.2 %2018: 52.4 %2019: 52 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in European Union is 52.0%, measured in 2019.

The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in European Union peaked at 52.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 41.2%, in 1997.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in European Union, year by year

Annual values for Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%) in European Union, 1997 to 2019.
Year % Change
1997 41.2%
1998 49.0% +18.8%
1999 45.8% -6.5%
2000 50.5% +10.3%
2001 50.2% -0.7%
2002 50.3% +0.2%
2003 51.6% +2.6%
2004 46.1% -10.7%
2005 46.2% +0.4%
2006 49.1% +6.2%
2007 49.3% +0.4%
2008 50.0% +1.5%
2009 50.7% +1.5%
2010 50.4% -0.6%
2011 51.1% +1.3%
2012 51.5% +0.7%
2013 50.9% -1.1%
2014 51.9% +1.9%
2015 52.7% +1.6%
2016 52.6% -0.3%
2017 52.2% -0.8%
2018 52.4% +0.4%
2019 52.0% -0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 45.4% 41.2% 49.0% 3
2000s 49.4% 46.1% 51.6% 10
2010s 51.8% 50.4% 52.7% 10

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See the full ranking of 224 places →

More reference data data for European Union

All data for European Union →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in European Union?
Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in European Union was 52.0% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in recorded in European Union?
The highest recorded value was 52.7% in 2015.
What is the lowest share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in recorded in European Union?
The lowest recorded value was 41.2% in 1997.
How does European Union rank for share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in?
European Union ranks 2nd out of 2 regions with data for 2019.
Is share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in rising or falling in European Union?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this European Union data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in in European Union. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-all-students-in-upper-secondary-education-enrolled-in-general-programmes-percent/european-union/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of all students in upper secondary education enrolled in general programmes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
224 places, 3,926 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Total number of students enrolled in general programmes at the upper secondary education level, expressed as a percentage of the total number of students enrolled in all programmes (vocational and general) at the upper secondary level. General education is designed to develop learners’ general knowledge, skills and competencies and literacy and numeracy skills, often to prepare students for more advanced educational programmes at the same or higher ISCED levels and to lay the foundation for lifelong learning. General educational programmes are typically school- or college-based. General education includes educational programmes that are designed to prepare students for entry into vocational education, but that do not prepare for employment in a particular occupation or trade or class of occupations or trades, nor lead directly to a labour market relevant qualification.