Luxembourg among most highly qualified countries in the world

Luxembourg ranks second in the EU for educational attainment among 25 to 34-year-olds, with 66.3% holding a school diploma, according to Eurostat figures. Ireland leads the statistics at 66.4%. Educational outcomes, however, vary considerably across the 27 member states and can be contradictory depending on how data is collected and processed.

Among Luxembourg’s immediate neighbours, France performs best, with 52.4% of its 25–34-year-olds holding a higher education qualification, followed by Belgium at 50.9%. Germany, with just 43%, is the only bordering country below the European average of 44.8%.

© Eurostat

In 2024, Ireland, Luxembourg, Sweden and Cyprus recorded the highest proportions of higher education graduates (over 45%) in their populations, while Romania and Italy reported the lowest (under 25%).

At the upper-secondary level, Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg recorded the lowest shares of adults with a level of attainment (under 30%), whereas Slovakia and the Czech Republic reported the highest (over 65%).

Overall, 44% of 25–34-year-olds in the EU had completed higher education, and 84% of young Europeans aged 20 to 24 had  completed at least an upper-secondary education.

Educational attainment has risen sharply in Europe over the past decade. The proportion of people aged 25 to 74 with a higher education qualification increased from 26% in 2014 to 33.5% in 2024.

In Luxembourg, the national statistics office, STATEC, notes that the education level of the resident population has grown rapidly in recent years, with nearly half of adults under 40 holding a higher education qualification.

However, statistical changes mask disparities between native Luxembourgers and foreign nationals.

Significant inequalities persist among immigrants, depending on their countries of origin, between highly educated migration and low-skilled labour migration, as well as pronounced generational gaps, according to the national statistics institute.

A separate OECD ranking, which covers countries worldwide, states Luxembourg ranks fifth for higher education attainment among 25–34-year-olds, with 60.03% of this age group holding a degree. The country follows South Korea (69.58%), Canada (66.97%), Japan (65.68%) and Ireland (63.27%).