The European Commission has declared 2023 to be the Year of Skills. Having a workforce with the skills that are in demand contributes to sustainable growth, leads to more innovation and improves companies' competitiveness. 

In 2021, the adult participation rate in lifelong learning was 11% in the EU. This is an increase compared with 2020 (9%) and is the same share as recorded in 2019. 

The participation rates in nearly all the EU countries increased steadily between 2011 and 2021, with the exceptions of Denmark (-10 percentage points, or pp) and Czechia (-6 pp). The largest increases were recorded in the Netherlands (+10 pp), Sweden (+9 pp) and Finland (+7 pp). 

Sweden top-performer with more than a third of adults participating in learning

In 2021, the highest shares of adult participation in learning were recorded in Sweden (35%), Finland (31%) and the Netherlands (27%).

Source dataset: trng_lfse_01

At the other end of the scale, the lowest shares of adult participation in learning were recorded in Bulgaria (2%), Greece (4%), and Slovakia, Romania, Croatia and Poland (all 5%).