One in four Luxembourgers has dropped out of school
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According to Eurostat data collected as part of the Labour Force Survey 2024, 14.2% of young people aged 15 to 34 in the EU have interrupted formal education or training at least once. These figures reflect not only the level of dissatisfaction with educational programmes, but also the underlying social and economic problems affecting young people in Europe.
The worst performance was recorded in:
- The Netherlands - 32.2%,
- Denmark - 27.1%,
- Luxembourg - 24.8%,
- Estonia - 24.4%.
In contrast, the lowest dropout rates were found in Romania (1.5%), Greece (2.2%) and Bulgaria (3.5%). These differences are probably related to differences in access to alternative career paths, youth support and the structure of education systems.
Across the EU, the main reason for dropping out of further education is disappointment with the programme itself or its complexity, cited by 42.6% of respondents. This is followed by:
- personal or family circumstances (18.5%),
- preference for work to training (13.8%),
- financial difficulties - only 5.3%.
The reasons vary depending on the level of education:
- at tertiary level (Bachelor's degree and above) 50.2% indicate problems with programme content;
- at the secondary level (including high school) - 35.9%;
- at the lowest level - 28.7%.
Interestingly, illness or disability was more often an obstacle at the lowest level of education (11.1%) than at the secondary (9.8%) or higher (5.6%) level. Personal reasons (family, health, stress) are also more frequently mentioned among dropouts at the basic level - 24.6%.
The desire to work instead of study is found in:
- 17.7% at the lowest level of education,
- 15.7% - on average,
- 11.9% at the top.
This may indicate both economic pressures and low motivation to pursue an academic pathway, especially when there are immediate offers in the labour market.
High dropout rates in countries such as Luxembourg call into question the effectiveness of the education system and its ability to adapt to the needs of young people. The 24.8% figure is not just a statistic but a signal of a systemic brain drain.
