Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Germany
Germany: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal was 3.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Germany, 1990–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Germany stood at 3.7%. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
The figure is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 25.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Germany peaked at 3.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1990.
Germany ranks 20th of 49 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Germany, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.2% | — |
| 1991 | 0.3% | +42.8% |
| 1996 | 0.7% | +142.9% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | +7.0% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | -31.5% |
| 2000 | 1.0% | +101.5% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | +12.3% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | +7.8% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | +43.7% |
| 2004 | 2.2% | +27.6% |
| 2005 | 2.5% | +13.5% |
| 2006 | 2.3% | -7.5% |
| 2007 | 2.7% | +17.0% |
| 2008 | 3.0% | +9.5% |
| 2009 | 2.9% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 3.3% | +12.2% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | -15.5% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 3.0% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | +11.4% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | +6.0% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | +8.1% |
| 2020 | 2.8% | -23.5% |
| 2021 | 3.0% | +10.4% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | +20.3% |
| 2023 | 3.7% | +2.2% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 3.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.7%, 1.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Germany's 3.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7.7%, 49% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Germany changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +142.9% | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| 2000 | +101.5% | 0.5% | 1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.7% | 5 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.0% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.8% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 2.8% | 3.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More education data for Germany
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 618,670 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,242 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.35 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.27 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.97 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.31 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.83 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0396 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Germany?
- Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal in Germany was 3.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 3.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1990.
- How does Germany rank for participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal?
- Germany ranks 20th out of 49 countries with data for 2023.
- Is participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 55-64 years old, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release