62% of the population of the A.C. of the Basque Country had completed compulsory education, heading the list of communities as regards the level of studies completed and coming third in university degrees (13.3%), behind the Community of Madrid and Navarre, according to the Population and Housing Census 2001 published by Eustat, corresponding to the section on Level of Education.

One in four people in the A.C. of the Basque Country obtained primary qualifications, 14% of the population had a professional qualification, 10.2% had baccalaureate and 13.3% had a university qualification –6.1% medium level, 6.9% higher and 0.3% with a doctorate.

One in six foreigners resident in the A.C. of the Basque Country hold university qualifications

Foreigners resident in the A.C. of the Basque Country showed a similar distribution to the rest of the population as regards studies completed: 61.4% had some sort of qualification and 17.2% possessed a university qualification.

One in five people in the A.C. of the Basque Country had taken or were taking a course of university studies

The population with university training practically doubled, going from 201,591 in 1986 to 395,879 in 2001. This increase in university studies was of special importance in the latest five-year period, going from 15.4% of the population aged 10 or over in 1996 to 20.5% in 2001. 71% of those with this type of training were under 40 years old, confirming that the younger generations were the most educated and that as one generation takes over from the last, the level of education rises.

The over-60s still showed an illiteracy rate of 2% of the total, being somewhat higher among women (2.7%).

In 2001 in the A.C. of the Basque Country there were 416,323 students, 20% of the total population, whereas in 1986 this same figure was 568,880, corresponding to 26.6%.

Despite this decline in numbers, it should stressed that, among other factors, the effect of the birth rate levelling off was mitigated by the extension of compulsory education to 16 years old, the incorporation of the under-threes, 10% in 2001 compared to 3% in 1996, and the general expansion of the educational period. In 2001, 9% of students were over 24 years old, whereas in 1996 the percentage was 4%.

The loss of students occurred throughout the municipalities of the A.C. of the Basque Country between 1996 and 2001. Among the municipalities of over 40,000 inhabitants, Basauri (-4.5%) and Santurtzi (-4.3%) were the ones to suffer the largest decrease. Donostia-San Sebastián (-1.7%) and Bilbao (-2.3%) showed a smaller loss than the average of the Autonomous Community, which stood at –2.9%.

This decrease was concentrated in primary and middle studies, going from 395,959 students in 1996 to 325,939 in 2001. On the other hand, the number of university students increased from 83,569 in 1996 to 90,384 in 2001, both in higher level degrees (2.6%) and in medium-level ones (1.7%).

Basauri and Barakaldo stood out for having the highest proportion of students studying professional training (10.2% and 9.5% respectively), and also medium-level degrees (8.2%), while in Getxo, one in four students was taking a higher-level university degree.

8.3% of graduates stayed on at university, taking third-cycle studies or a second degree

Technical degrees experienced the greatest increase in the number of students, especially medium-level technical degrees, whose number of students tripled from 1986 to reach 11,244 in the latest census. There was a significant increase in the incorporation of women into this type of degree, from 4,166 in 1996 to 7,679 in 2001, although there was still a greater proportion of male students, two in three, for this type of course.

It is worth noting that, on completing their university studies, an appreciable amount of students, 7,500 out of 90,384, decide to continue their training at university, either doing a masters, a post-graduate or a doctorate (6.8%), or re-enrolling to do a second degree (1.5%).

73,325 people aged 16 or over took occupational and complementary training courses

58% of those taking this type of course had a paid job, 32% were non-active and 10% unemployed. The majority were women and people aged between 20 and 34. Bajo Bidasoa was the district with the highest percentage of its population taking this type of course (2.3%).