Cyprus ranks among EU leaders for tertiary education attainment in 2025

Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus recorded one of the European Union’s highest shares of young adults with tertiary education qualifications in 2025, according to Eurostat. The proportion of people aged 25 to 34 who had completed tertiary education reached 60 per cent.

Cyprus above EU average

The figure was up from 41.3 per cent in 2005, an increase of 18.7 percentage points over 20 years. It placed Cyprus above the EU average of 44.8 per cent in 2025.

Cyprus was ranked behind Ireland, where the rate was 66.8 per cent, Luxembourg at 65 per cent and Lithuania at 60.8 per cent.

EU progress towards 2030 target

Across the EU, the proportion of people aged 25 to 34 with a tertiary qualification rose from 27.2 per cent in 2005 to 44.8 per cent in 2025, an increase of 17.6 percentage points.

The EU is close to its 2030 target under the European Education Area strategic framework, which seeks to ensure that at least 45 per cent of the population holds a higher education degree by 2030. Cyprus had already exceeded that target in 2025.

Gender gap remains

Eurostat said the overall increase partly reflected investment in higher education to meet labour market demand for a more highly skilled workforce.

Tertiary attainment increased for both women and men across the EU, although women continued to record higher rates. In 2025, 50.5 per cent of women aged 25 to 34 had completed tertiary education, compared with 39.3 per cent of men.