Romania had about 300,000 young people aged 18-24 who were early school leavers or had completed only the elementary school, according to 2015 data from EU’s statistical office Eurostat.

The number represented 19% of the total population in that age category, reports local Ziarul Financiar. By comparison, the average percentage of early school leavers in the EU among people aged 18-24 was only 11% last year. Romania should reach this target by 2020.

However, the situation worsened in Romania in recent years. The dropout rate increased from 17.3% in 2013 to 18.1% in 2014, and 19.1% in 2015. The country had the third-highest dropout rate in the EU last year, exceeded only by Spain and Malta. Croatia had the lowest percentage of early school leavers among people aged 18-24 in Europe, with 2.8%.

editor@romania-insider.com