Press release 29/04/2010
University graduates accounted for one in five people in the Basque Country in 2006
Half of the students on vocational training courses and one in three undergraduates studying technical degrees were women
One in five people had graduated or were studying at university in 2006, up from the 395,879 individuals that had completed further or higher education in 2001 to 418,420 in 2006, according to Eustat data.
Among the population aged 10 and over, the number of university graduates increased by one percentage points over those five years, from 20.5% in 2001 to 21.5% in 2006. 59% of those graduates were also under 40 years old.
One the other hand, the illiteracy rate of the population aged 10 and over fell by 0.6%. In the case of the population aged 60 and over, it fell from 2% in 2001 to 1.7% in 2006 and was considerably higher among women (2.3%) than among men (0.9%).
By districts, special mention should be made of Plentzia-Mungia, where nearly 30% of its population had completed university studies. Montaña Alavesa, Rioja Alavesa, Valles Alaveses and Encartaciones, where less than 15% of the population had studied at university, were at the other end of the scale.
Population aged 10 and over by level of university education by districts. Basque Country. 2006. %
Source: EUSTAT. EPV06
The percentage of female students in further and higher education was 5.6 points than in the case of male students
In 2006, there were 423,452 students in the Basque Country, 20% of the total of the population, while the figure stood at 416,323, which meant that the student population percentage remained unchanged. Even though the student population percentage remained steady, the level of education changed considerably over the five years. While pre-school and primary students accounted for 40% in 2001, the figure rose to 44% in 2006. Secondary and vocational training students fell from 39% to 35% and those at university rose from 22% to 21% of the total students.
At municipal level, among municipalities of over 40,000 inhabitants, special mention should be made of Getxo with a 23.6% student population, followed by Irún, with 21.1% and the three provincial capitals: Donostia-San Sebastián (20.9%), Vitoria-Gasteiz (20.6%) and Bilbao (19.4%), with the latter being the only one with a lower student population than the average for the Basque Language.
Among municipalities with over 10,000 inhabitants, Arrasate/Mondragón and Bermeo stood out for having the highest proportion of students on vocational training courses (9.1% and 8.7%, respectively). Basauri and Eibar were noted for having the highest proportion of students on three-year degrees (11.1% and 10.6%, respectively); while, in Getxo, one in four students were taking a five-year degree.
Technical careers continued to attract women
Technical degrees continued to experience the greatest increase in the number of students, particularly in the case of medium technical degrees, whose number of students doubled over the ten year period, rising from just over 5,500 in 1996 to nearly 14,000 in 2006. There was also a significant increase in the number of women on these degrees, as the number of women taking medium and higher technical degrees rose from 4,166 in 1996 to 8,151 in 2008. However, there was still a greater proportion of male students, two out of every three, who opted for these studies.
For further information:
Euskal Estatistika-Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Tlf:+34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es
Contact: Pilar Martínez Rollón
Tel:+34-945-01 75 97 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01
Further press releases at EPV06
Databank on EPV06