Fewer early school leavers in the Netherlands than EU average

© Hollandse Hoogte / David Rozing
In 2023, 6.2 percent of all 18 to 24-year-olds in the Netherlands left school without a diploma. Compared with other EU countries, this share is relatively small. Educational participation in the Netherlands is higher than the EU average. Children in the Netherlands are the most likely of any EU country to be in formal childcare. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this in its National Youth Monitor, which is based on figures from Eurostat.

Early school leavers are young people who drop out of education without having completed at least secondary education (i.e. HAVO or VWO or secondary vocational education (MBO-2)). This share fell steadily until 2021, but has increased again in recent years.

Among the 27 member states of the EU, 9.5 percent of people aged between 18 and 24 were early school leavers. This share has declined in recent years. The increase seen in the Netherlands since 2021 does not apply to the EU-27 as a whole. Among other member states, Romania had the highest share of early school leavers at 16.6 percent.

Early school leavers (18-24 yrs), 2023
EU-landenEarly school leavers (18-24 yrs) (%)
Romania16.6
Spain13.7
Germany12.8
Hungary11.6
Italy10.5
Denmark10.4
Cyprus10.4
Malta10.2
Estonia9.7
Finland9.6
EU-279.5
Bulgaria9.3
Austria8.6
Portugal8.1
Latvia7.7
France7.6
Sweden7.4
Luxembourg6.8
Czechia6.4
Lithuania6.4
Slovakia6.4
Belgium6.2
Netherlands6.2
Slovenia5.4
Ireland4.0
Greece3.7
Poland3.7
Croatia2

Young people in the Netherlands are more likely to be in education than EU average

Children in the Netherlands can attend primary school from the age of 4, and education is compulsory from the age of 5. Over 92 percent of 4 to 11-year-olds attended government-funded primary education in the 2023/’24 school year. This was 99 percent among young people aged 12 to 14. As young people become older, this percentage decreases. Many of them go on to complete secondary education, or they reach the age at which they are no longer legally required to attend education or to obtain a basic qualification and enter the labour market directly.

Among 15 to 24-year-olds, 73 percent were in education in 2023. This share was higher in the Netherlands than the EU-27 average, which was 66 percent. Only in Slovenia and Greece was educational participation among young people higher than in the Netherlands.

Young people in education (15-24 yrs), 2022
EU-landenYoung people in education (15-24 yrs) (%)
Slovenia75.4
Griekenland73.3
Netherlands73.1
Belgium70.9
Latvia70.7
Poland69.9
Lithuania69.9
Czechia69.7
Ireland69.5
Finland69.5
Denmark69.3
Sweden68.2
Spain68.0
Germany67.8
EU (27)66.0
Portugal65.4
Croatia64.7
France64.7
Estonia64.5
Italy62.9
Hungary60.2
Slovakia59.2
Bulgaria57.7
Austria57.6
Romania54.8
Cyprus50.1
Malta48.8
Luxembourg46.7

Netherlands ranks first for children in formal childcare

Children who do not yet attend primary school are able to attend day care. In 2023, 72 percent of children aged 0 to 2 years in the Netherlands were in formal childcare for at least 1 hour per week. The share for the EU-27 was 37 percent, on average. People in the Netherlands have made increasing use of formal childcare in recent years: a decade ago, less than half (46 percent) of children aged 0 to 2 years were in day care.

Parents in Denmark are also relatively high users of formal childcare; in 2023, 70 percent of children aged 0 to 2 years were in day care. In the Netherlands the majority of children were in day care for 1 to 30 hours, while in Denmark this was usually more than 30 hours a week. Particularly in Eastern European countries, formal childcare is less common. In Slovakia and Czechia, less than 5 percent of children aged 0 to 2 years were in day care.

Children (0-2 yrs) in formal childcare, 2023
EU-landen0 hours (%)1-30 hours (%)30 hours or more (%)
Nederland28.462.39.2
Denemarken30.2861.9
Luxembourg40.115.544.5
France42.717.839.6
Sweden43.113.543.4
Slovenia43.43.453.2
Belgium43.720.435.9
Spain44.32728.8
Portugal44.51.653.9
Malta48.92130
Finland56.19.934
Estonia62.112.225.7
EU (27)62.614.223.3
Cyprus637.829.1
Latvia65.12.632.3
Italy65.514.120.4
Croatia70.44.425.2
Greece70.51217.6
Austria75.917.36.8
Germany76.78.414.9
Ireland77.910.711.4
Hungary79.73.916.4
Lithuania80.23.116.8
Bulgaria82.62.814.6
Poland87.41.411.2
Romania87.84.38
Czechia95.631.4
Slovakia9901