SDG 4: Adult learning on the rise in the EU

16 September 2026 at 08:00

13.7% of the people in the EU aged 25 to 64 state having received formal or non-formal education and training in the last 4 weeks in 2025, rising from 10.1% in 2015. This growth has been steady, except for a temporary decline in 2020, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related contingency measures.

Among EU countries, Sweden (38.2%), Denmark (31.0%) and Finland (28.1%) had the highest shares of adult learning in 2025. In contrast, Greece (5.2%), Bulgaria (6.1%) and Croatia (6.5%) recorded the lowest shares.

Compared with 2015, adult learning grew in almost all EU countries, most notably in Malta (+12.3 percentage points (pp)), Estonia (+11.9 pp), Belgium (+11.1 pp), and Slovenia (10.9 pp). The only exceptions were France (-3.1 pp), Luxembourg (-0.6 pp), and Denmark (-0.5 pp).

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Source dataset: sdg_04_60

In 2025, the share of adults participating in education and training was 2.5 pp higher among women than among men (14.9% compared with 12.4%, respectively). Women’s participation rate also increased faster, rising by 4.0 pp between 2015 and 2025, compared with 3.2 pp for men.

Participation in adult learning also differs by degree of urbanization. Adults living in cities were more likely to participate in learning (16.8%) than those living in towns and suburbs (12.3%) or rural areas (10.3%).

SDG 4 – quality education

Tertiary educational attainment is one of the indicators used to monitor the Sustainable development goal (SDG) 4 – quality education. SDG 4 seeks to ensure access to quality education for all at all stages of life, as well as to increase the number of young people and adults who have the relevant skills for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. Monitoring SDG 4 in an EU context focuses on basic education, tertiary education, adult learning and digital skills.

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Methodological note

Adult participation in learning measures the share of people aged 25 to 64 who stated they received formal or non-formal education and training in the 4 weeks before the survey, which was carried out to monitor it. For definitions of formal and non-formal education and training, see the reference metadata. Data stem from the EU Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS).