Archive:European Neighbourhood Policy - East - education statistics

Data extracted in January 2022.

Planned article update: March 2023.

Highlights

Among the European Neighbourhood Policy-East countries, public expenditure on education ranged from 2.3% of GDP in Armenia (2020 data) to 5.4% in Ukraine (2019 data) and 5.5% in Moldova (2018 data). In 2019, EU public spending on education was 4.7% of GDP.

A higher proportion of women aged 30-34 had completed tertiary education in 2020 in Belarus (78%, 2019 data), Ukraine (65%) and Armenia (62%) than in the EU (46%).

Among the European Neighbourhood Policy-East countries, more than 90% of young adults in Belarus, Ukraine and Georgia had completed at least an upper secondary education in 2020, compared with 84% in the EU.

Public expenditure on education as a share of GDP, 2010-2020

Moldova: 2019 and 2020: not available.
Ukraine: 2018 and 2019: provisional. 2020: not available. Since 2014, data for Ukraine generally exclude the illegally annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol and the territories which are not under control of the Ukrainian government.
Belarus: 2020: provisional.
EU: 2020: not available
Georgia: based on 2008 SNA. 2019 and 2020: provisional.
Azerbaijan: Calendar year. 2014 and 2017: provisional.
Armenia: 2010-2011: based on 1993 SNA. 2010-2018: central government expenditure.
Source: Eurostat (online data codes: gov_10a_exp and enpe_educ_figdp)

This article is part of an online publication; it presents information on a range of education statistics for the six countries that together form the European Neighbourhood Policy-East (ENP-East) region: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, compared with the European Union (EU). Data shown for Georgia exclude the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia over which Georgia does not exercise control and the data shown for Moldova exclude areas over which the government of the Republic of Moldova does not exercise control. The latest data for Ukraine generally exclude the illegally annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol and the territories which are not under control of the Ukrainian government (see specific footnotes for precise coverage).

The article includes information relating to public expenditure on education, numbers of pupils and students, educational attainment among young adults, and tertiary education.

Full article

Expenditure on education

Figure 1 shows the share of public expenditure on education relative to gross domestic product (GDP) over the period 2010-2020. This ratio can be affected by government policy on educational expenditure, the number of school-age children and overall economic performance as measured by GDP. During an economic recession, the share of education within GDP might rise if governments attempt to maintain educational expenditure. Inter-country comparisons can, in particular, be affected by the proportion of school-age children in the population.

Figure 1: Public expenditure on education as a share of GDP, 2010-2020
(% of GDP)
Source: Eurostat (gov_10a_exp) and (enpe_educ_figdp)

Some of the ENP-East countries saw the proportion of GDP spent on education by general government fall over the period in question. This group includes Moldova, whose public expenditure on education fell from 7.7 % of GDP in 2010, the highest of any ENP-East country, to 5.5 % in 2018 (the most recent year available). This was still the highest expenditure that year of any ENP-East country. Ukraine’s public expenditure on education fell from 6.6 % of GDP in 2010, the second highest, to 5.4 % in 2019 (most recent provisional data), which remained higher than most of the other ENP-East countries. Armenia saw its public expenditure on education fall from 2.8 % of GDP in 2010 (central government expenditure only) to 2.3 % in 2020, the lowest in the region.

In Belarus, public expenditure on education was essentially stable over the period, despite a one-year fall in 2011, which was reversed the following year. In 2010 it was 5.1 % of GDP and in 2020, 5.0 % (provisional data). Azerbaijan’s expenditure on education, having been consistently low: 2.8 % of GDP in 2010 and 2.7 % in 2019, rose to 3.8 % in 2020. Georgia also showed an increase in this measure, spending 2.8 % of GDP on education in 2010 and 3.8 % (provisional data) in 2020. In both cases, this may be due more to a fall in GDP than an increase in absolute education expenditure. For comparison, the share of education expenditure in EU GDP was 5.0 % in 2010 and 4.7 % in 2019, the most recent data available.

Figure 2 shows public expenditure on education as a share of total public expenditure, 2010-2020. This statistic abstracts from the overall economic cycle - the graph in Figure 2 should be read together with the graph in Figure 1. Public expenditure on education as a share of total public expenditure can show an increase if overall government expenditure is being reduced but education is protected from budget cuts. Since the definitions of expenditure often differ between countries, for this indicator analyses over time for each country are often more useful than inter-country comparisons.

Armenia’s expenditure on education declined from 10.0 % of total public expenditure in 2010 (central government expenditure) to 7.5 % in 2020. Starting at a much higher point, at 14.3 % of total public spending in 2010, Ukraine’s public expenditure on education declined to 13.2 % in 2019, the most recent data. From an even higher figure of 22.5 % in 2010, Moldova’s estimated expenditure fell to 17.6 % of total public spending in 2018, the most recent data available. This was still the highest recorded in the region that year. Azerbaijan’s public spending on education rose slightly from 10.0 % in 2010 to 10.5 % of total public expenditure in 2020.

Belarus’ public expenditure on education as a proportion of the total rose from 12.3 % in 2010 to 13.3 % in 2020, one of the highest in the ENP-East region that year. Georgia’s educational expenditure increased 2010-2020 both as a share of GDP and in its share of public expenditure. This grew from 11.2 % in 2010 to a provisional figure of 14.2 % in 2020. This was nominally the highest in the ENP-East region in 2020, although definitions differ and 2020 data are not yet available for Moldova and Ukraine.

Figure 2: Public expenditure on education as share of total public expenditure, 2010-2020
(% of total public expenditure)
Source: Eurostat (gov_10a_exp) and (enpe_educ_figdp)

The EU’s expenditure on education as a proportion of public expenditure remained close to constant throughout the period, at 10.0 % in both 2010 and 2019, the most recent data available.

Numbers of pupils and students

Figure 3 presents data showing the distribution of pupils and students across the various educational levels (classified according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 2011)).

Based on the latest available data for each country, there were 12.8 million pupils and students attending educational establishments from pre-primary to tertiary education in the ENP-East countries in 2020.

In Azerbaijan, the definition of pre-primary education differs from other ENP-East countries; in Georgia, pre-primary and primary pupils are categorised together. Therefore, the two groups are analysed together. In 2020, the range of shares of pupils in pre-primary and primary education was very narrow between most of the ENP-East countries, from 40.1 % in Ukraine to 43.5 % in Georgia. Azerbaijan (40.6 %) and Belarus (43.1 %) also fell within this range. Moldova was a slight outlier on the upper side with 47.5 %, with Armenia a slight outlier on the lower side with 36.7 %.

Taking lower and higher secondary education together, Georgia had the smallest proportion of pupils at secondary level with 35.2 %, reflecting that it had a slightly higher proportion of students in tertiary and other post-secondary education than most of the other ENP-East countries, at 21.3 %. In Belarus and Ukraine, 36.8 % and 36.7 % respectively of the students attended secondary education. These two countries recorded levels of tertiary and other post-secondary education at 20.1 % and 23.2 % respectively. The other ENP-East countries reported lower levels of students in tertiary and other post-secondary education in 2020: in Armenia, 16.3 % of students studied at this level, while it was 13.6 % in Moldova and 12.6 % in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan had 46.8 % of its pupils /students in secondary education, Armenia 46.9 % and Moldova 38.9 %.

Figure 3: Pupils and students by education level, 2020
(%)
Source: Eurostat (educ_uoe_enra02) and (enpe_educ_uoe_enra02)

There were more than 95 million pupils and students across the EU. One fifth (20.3 %) of these were in tertiary and other post-secondary education. 42.0 % of all its students and pupils attended primary or pre-primary education, leaving 37.6 % of secondary school pupils. This data refers to 2019, the most recent year available.

Educational attainment among those aged 20-24 years

Figure 4 shows the proportion of the population group aged 20-24 who achieved at least an upper secondary educational level — otherwise referred to as the youth education attainment level — in 2010 and 2020 for the ENP-East countries and the EU.

Among the ENP-East countries, there were considerable differences in the education attainment levels among these young adults. In Ukraine 97.2 % of women and 96.9 % of men aged 20-24 had completed at least an upper secondary level of education in 2020. This was an improvement on the situation in 2010, when the levels were 94.3 % and 92.7 % respectively. Belarus recorded even higher levels than Ukraine in 2020, with 97.3 % for young men (2019 data) and 98.7 % for young women. In 2010, the figures for Belarus were 91.4 % for men and 94.0 % for women. Georgia also had high levels of youth education attainment in 2020: 91.0 % of young men and 92.3 % of young women had completed upper secondary school. The data were similar to ten years earlier: 91.5 % for men and 92.3 % for women.

Moldova saw a small increase in male education attainment, from 71.3 % having completed upper secondary school in 2010 to 75.5 % in 2020. Over the same period, female attainment increased from 80.3 % to 82.0 %. Much larger increases occurred in Armenia, although at a much lower level: male education attainment increased from 46.3 % (2009 data) to 57.6 %; and female from 34.2 % (2009 data) to 44.2 %. Armenia was the only country in the region where the share of young men completing upper secondary school was higher than the corresponding share of young women, so that there was a male-led education gender gap.

Azerbaijan recorded 94.5 % male attainment in 2009 and female attainment of 92.6 %. No recent data on educational attainment is available for Azerbaijan.

In the EU, 81.5 % of young men and 87.1 % of young women had completed upper secondary school in 2020. Both had increased by around 5 percentage points compared with the situation in 2010.

Figure 4: Proportion of young adults having attained at least an upper secondary education, by gender, 2010 and 2020
(% of 20-24 years old)
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfse_03) and Eurostat data collection

Tertiary education

Tertiary education is defined as ISCED 2011 levels 5 to 8 – see the Data Sources section for more information. Figure 5 shows the proportion of 30–34-year-olds in 2020 who had completed a tertiary level of education.

Belarus (2019 data) had the highest overall proportion of tertiary qualification holders, at 70.3 %, made up of 62.2 % of men and 78.3 % of women. Ukraine was next, with 2020 figures of 49.7 % of men and 64.8 % of women, in total 57.1 %.

In Georgia in 2020, 38.2 % among the 30-34 age group had completed tertiary education, with 33.6 % of men and 42.7 % of women. In Armenia, the figures were 42.8 % of men and 61.7 % of women, 52.8 % in all. Moldova had 24.3 % of men and 38.2 % of women qualified at tertiary level, for a total of 31.5 %. Thus, at tertiary level, there is a substantial female-led tertiary education gender gap in all ENP-East countries reporting, with higher shares of women achieving this education level than men. Data are not available for Azerbaijan.

In comparison, in the EU 41.0 % of young people aged 30-34 years had completed tertiary education in 2020; this corresponded to 46.1 % among women and 36.0 % among men.

Figure 5: Proportion of people aged 30-34 years having completed tertiary education, by gender, 2020
(%)
Source: Eurostat (edat_lfse_03) and (enpe_edat_lfse_03)

Figure 6 shows the ratio of those graduating with a tertiary science or technology degree relative to the total population aged 20-29 in 2020. The ratio of men having graduated from a science or technology discipline per 1 000 male inhabitants aged 20-29 was higher in Azerbaijan, Belarus and Ukraine than in the EU (2019 data), being 54.1 %, 49.5 % and 34.9 % respectively. The corresponding ratios for women were 35.6 % in Azerbaijan and 15.4 % in Belarus; the ratio for women in Ukraine was 14.0 %, which was very close to that of the EU. Note that the footnote to Figure 6 shows the different definition used by Azerbaijan. In Georgia in 2020, 10.8 % of males aged 20-29 years and 9.4 % of females held science and technology degrees. These data are not available for Armenia.

Within the EU in 2019 (2020 not available), this figure stood at 27.7 male graduates per 1 000 male inhabitants in this age group, almost twice as high as the corresponding ratio for women: 13.9.

Figure 6: Tertiary graduates in science and technology, relative to population aged 20-29, 2020
(per thousand men and women aged 20-29)
Source: Eurostat (educ_uoe_grad02), (demo_pjangroup) and Eurostat data collection

Source data for tables and graphs

European Neighbourhood Policy — East countries — education: tables and figures

Data sources

The data for ENP-East countries are supplied by and under the responsibility of the national statistical authorities of each country on a voluntary basis. The data result from an annual data collection cycle that has been established by Eurostat. These statistics are available free-of-charge on Eurostat’s website, together with a range of additional indicators for ENP-East countries covering most socio-economic topics.

Education statistics cover a range of subjects, including: expenditure, personnel, participation and attainment. The standards for international statistics on education are set by three organisations:

the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics (UIS);
the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD);
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

The main source of data for the EU aggregate is a joint UNESCO/OECD/Eurostat (UOE) questionnaire on education systems. This is the basis for the core components of the Eurostat database on education statistics; Eurostat also collects data on regional enrolments and foreign language learning. EU data on educational attainment are mainly provided through household surveys, in particular the EU labour force survey (LFS).

Note that the collection of data on education underwent a considerable change as a result of the introduction of a new version of ISCED, namely ISCED 2011, replacing ISCED 1997. Longer time series are generally available on the basis of ISCED 1997, while data for the EU and its Member States are often available on the basis of ISCED 2011 from the 2014 reference year.

Tables in this article use the following notation:

Value in italics	data value is forecasted, provisional or estimated and is therefore likely to change;
:	not available, confidential or unreliable value;
–	not applicable.

Context

Each EU Member State is responsible for its own education and training systems. As such, EU policy in this area is designed to support national action and address common challenges, by providing a forum for exchanging best practices.

The strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training was adopted by the Council in May 2009, with the following common objectives for 2020:

Making lifelong learning and mobility a reality
Improving the quality and efficiency of education and training
Promoting equity, social cohesion, and active citizenship
Enhancing creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship, at all levels of education and training

Based on the mid-term stock-taking of this strategic framework, in 2015 the Council adopted new priority areas and concrete issues for further work up to 2020, as laid down in the Joint Report from the European Commission and the Council on the implementation of the strategic framework (2015/C 417/04):

Relevant and high-quality knowledge, skills and competences developed throughout lifelong learning, focusing on learning outcomes for employability, innovation, active citizenship and well-being.
Inclusive education, equality, equity, non-discrimination and the promotion of civic competences.
Open and innovative education and training, including by fully embracing the digital era.
Strong support for teachers, trainers, school leaders and other educational staff.
Transparency and recognition of skills and qualifications to facilitate learning and labour mobility.
Sustainable investment, quality and efficiency of education and training systems.

In 2021, a new ‘Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030)’ was adopted by Council Resolution 2021/C 66/01. This sets the following strategic priorities:

Improving quality, equity, inclusion and success for all in education and training.
Making lifelong learning and mobility a reality for all.
Enhancing competences and motivation in the education profession.
Reinforcing European higher education.
Supporting the green and digital transitions in and through education and training.

On 2 July 2021, the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy presented the Eastern Partnership: a Renewed Agenda for cooperation with the EU’s Eastern partners. This agenda is based on the five long-term objectives, with resilience at its core, as defined for the future of the Eastern Partnership in the Joint Communication Eastern Partnership policy beyond 2020: Reinforcing Resilience – an Eastern Partnership that delivers for all in March 2020. It is further elaborated in the Joint Staff Working Document Recovery, resilience and reform: post 2020 Eastern Partnership priorities. It will be underpinned by an Economic and Investment plan.

In cooperation with its ENP partners, Eurostat has the responsibility ‘to promote and implement the use of European and internationally recognised standards and methodology for the production of statistics, necessary for developing and monitoring policy achievements in all policy areas’. Eurostat undertakes the task of coordinating EU efforts to increase the statistical capacity of the ENP countries. Additional information on the policy context of the ENP is provided here.