Press release 28/08/2012
42.6% of the Basque Population aged between 30 and 34 years of age possess higher education studies
82.6% of young people aged between 20 and 24 years of age have completed at least secondary education
42.6% of the population of the Basque Country aged between 30 and 34 possess higher education Studies, according to Eustat data for 2011. This figure is considerably higher that the 34.6% corresponding to the average within the EU-27 countries. In the case of Spain, this figure stood at 40.6% for the same year.
If this data is compared with the data of each of the EU-27 countries, it can be observed that the Basque Country found itself in an extremely positive position. Thus, in this indicator we were only surpassed by Ireland (49.4%), Luxembourg (48.2%), Sweden (47.5%), Finland (46.0%), Cyprus and the United Kingdom (each reporting 45.8%), Lithuania (45.4%) and France (43.4%). Belgium reported the same percentage as the Basque Country (42.6%). At the bottom of the list we find Italy with 20.3%, Romania with 20.4% and Malta with 21.1%.
The spectacular evolution of this indicator in the Basque Country in recent years is evident if we observe the figures for 2000: in this year 30.5% of the population aged between 30 and 34 in the Basque Country possessed higher education studies, the figure for Spain stood at 29.2% and the average for the EU-27 was 22.4%.
Furthermore, also within the sphere of education and in relation to the percentage of the population aged between 20 and 24 that have completed at least secondary level education, attention should be drawn to the fact that in 2011, the figure for this indicator for the Basque Country, 82.6%, was higher than the average figure for the EU-27 countries, which stood at 79.5%. However, the figure for Spain as a whole, 61.7%, is considerably lower than this average.
By country, Slovakia (93.3%), the Czech Republic (91.7%). Slovenia (90.1%), Poland (90.0%), Sweden (88.7%) and Cyprus (87.7%) boasted the highest figures. Conversely, the countries with the lowest figures for population aged between 20 and 24 who had completed at least secondary education were Malta (59.2%), Spain (61.7%), Portugal (64.4%) and Denmark (70.0%).
Gender-based interpretation of this data for the Basque Country shows that the proportion of women aged between 30 and 34 with higher education studies (49.7%) is higher than the proportion of men (35.6%). This tendency is also seen in the level of secondary education of the population aged between 20 and 24, where a higher percentage of women (84.2%) possess this level of studies when compared to men (81.1%).
For further information:
Basque Statistics Office
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Tel: +34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es
Contact: Manu Riveiros
Tel:+34-945-01 75 62 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01
Further press releases on The Basque Country within the UE-27