Adult learning - reasons for not participating

Data extracted in December 2024

Planned article update: 2030

Highlights

In the EU, 25.9% of adults aged 25-64 had unmet training needs in 2022.

In 2022, scheduling conflicts were the most common reason for not participating in education and training in the EU for people aged 25-64.

Population aged 25-64 wanting to participate (more) in adult learning, 2022

This article presents European Union (EU) statistics on the will to participate in adult learning as well as the reasons for not participating in learning activities. Based on the adult education survey (AES), it provides information on whether people aged 25-64 wanted to participate in learning activities or not. In order to shed light on unmet training needs, questions on the will to participate in adult learning were asked to people who did not participate in any formal or non-formal education and training in the last 12 months, but also to those who participated in learning activities; i.e. adult learners were asked whether they wanted to participate more in education and training. For those not wanting to participate (more), information on the reasons behind this is given. For those who wanted to participate (more) but did not, the reasons behind this are described.

This article is one of a set of statistical articles that form part of the online publication Education and training in the EU - facts and figures. For more information on adult learning, see the articles Adult learning, Adult learning - participants and Adult learning - characteristics of education and training.

People wanting to participate in adult learning vs. people not wanting to

In 2022, the proportion of people aged 25-64 in the EU who participated in education or training in the previous 12 months was 46.6% (see Adult learning). This means that 53.4% did not participate in any formal or non-formal learning activities.

In 2022, 42.4% of persons aged 25-64 did not participate and did not want to participate in adult learning, while another 30.4% participated but did not want to participate more. Conversely, more than a quarter of adults (25.9%) had unmet training needs as they indicated that they wanted to participate (more) in education and training in the last 12 months.

Figure 1: Population aged 25-64 by will to participate in education and training, EU, 2022
(%)
Source: Eurostat (trng_aes_175)

People not wanting to participate (more) in adult learning

Looking at all adults aged 25-64 who indicated that they did not want to participate (more) in education and training, this group covers about three quarters of the EU population aged 25-64 (see Figure 1).

For 75.9% of the EU population aged 25-64 who did not want to participate (more) in education and training, the main reason was that they had no such need. The highest rate, 97.7%, was recorded in Bulgaria, followed by Lithuania (91.0%), Germany (89.6%) and France (89.1%). This rate was below 50% in only 2 countries – Greece (49.6%) and the Netherlands (40.8%). In all EU countries (apart from Estonia), the percentage of men who indicated that they did not need to participate (more) in education and training was higher than for women.

Figure 2: Population aged 25-64 not wanting to participate (more) in adult learning because of no need, by sex, 2022
(%)
Source: Eurostat (trng_aes_192)

People who wanted to participate (more) but did not

About a quarter of adults aged 25-64 indicated that they had wanted to participate (more) in education and training, i.e. they had some unmet training needs. For this group, scheduling conflicts were identified as the most frequently mentioned reason (39.6%). The second most frequent reason involved costs (28.7%), and the third was family reasons (26.0%).

Figure 3: Population aged 25-64 wanting to participate (more) in adult learning, by reason for not participating and sex, EU, 2022
(%)
Source: Eurostat (trng_aes_176)

The 3 most common reasons for non-participation (schedule, costs and family reasons) were the same regardless of sex, but with some differences in magnitude. Scheduling conflicts affected men (42.4%) slightly more than women (37.2%). Costs were an obstacle for 25.2% of men and 31.6% of women, while family reasons were more pronounced for women (31.5%) than for men (19.5%).

In 2022, scheduling conflicts were the most common reason for not participating in education and training across all age groups in the EU, particularly among those aged 25-34 (43.6%). Costs were the second most frequent barrier for this age group (35.0%) compared to 20.1% of those aged 55-64, where it was also the second most common reason. Family responsibilities were increasingly a concern for people aged 35-54, affecting 30.0% of them and being the second most cited reason. ‘Other reason’ and ‘Other personal reasons’ were cited more frequently by those aged 25-34 (18.6% and 19.6% respectively). In addition, the availability of suitable training was a common concern across all age groups, ranging from 14.0% to 16.5%. As expected, age and health reasons are far more pronounced among those aged 55-64 (9.1% and 14.0% respectively, compared to 1.5% and 7.1% for those aged 25-34).

Figure 4: Population wanting to participate (more) in adult learning, by reason for not participating and age, EU, 2022
(%)
Source: Eurostat (trng_aes_177)

Scheduling emerged as the biggest barrier in 18 EU countries, ahead of other factors such as costs, family responsibilities or distance. Austria had the highest rate, with 68.4% citing it as an obstacle to participation, followed by Malta with 64.4% and Bulgaria with 62.1%. The countries that reported the fewest scheduling conflicts were Czechia (11.5%), Finland (16.5%) and Poland (23.3%).

In addition to scheduling conflicts, the second main barrier to participation in education and training is costs. This was the second most frequent barrier in 11 EU countries. The Netherlands had the highest rate with 52.6% citing financial constraints as a barrier, followed by Romania with 42.2% and Austria with 39.7%. Romania was the only EU country where costs were the most frequent obstacle. Conversely, the EU countries with the lowest percentage for costs were Czechia (5.1%), Poland (15.5%) and Belgium (16.7%).

Not only economic barriers, but also family reasons should be considered. This was mentioned as the main obstacle in 4 EU countries (Cyprus with 58.1%, Czechia with 31.8%, Sweden with 29.1% and Poland with 25.7%). Overall, family reasons were reported at the highest rate by Cyprus, followed by Austria with 40.9% and the Netherlands with 38.8%, although this was not the most frequently reported obstacle in the last 2 countries. In contrast, Belgium reported the lowest rate of 14.3%, followed by Denmark at 16.2% and Estonia at 16.5%. This indicates that family reasons are less of a barrier to participation in these countries.

The lack of suitable training offers was not mentioned in any country as the most frequent reason for not participating in adult learning. The highest percentage of people reporting ‘no suitable training offer’ was in Austria (32.0%), followed by Sweden (24.9%) and the Netherlands (23.7%). The countries with the lowest rates were Romania (4.9%) and Ireland (8.0%).

Reasons related to the organisation of education and training activities, such as ‘Too few registrations’ or ‘Course booked out’ were the least frequently mentioned in almost all EU countries with reliable data.

Table 1: Population aged 25-64 wanting to participate (more) in adult learning, by reason for not participating, 2022
(%)
Source: Eurostat (trng_aes_176)

People who did not take part in adult learning but wanted to

In 2022, the proportion of people aged 25-64 in the EU who did not participate in education or training during the previous 12 months was 53.4%. These ‘non-learners’ are of particular interest as some of them might have wanted to participate but could not due to obstacles. Removing these obstacles could help to increase overall participation rates in adult learning.

In the EU, 19.2% of those aged 25-64 who did not participate in education and training in the last 12 months indicated that they wanted to participate but encountered difficulties. The countries where the percentage of non-learners who wanted to participate but faced difficulties was higher than 30% were Portugal (35.2%), Estonia (32.4%), Germany (31.7%) and Finland (30.5%).

At the same time, 79.5% of non-learners in the EU indicated that they did not want to participate in education and training. This share was above 90% in Czechia (93.6%), Slovakia (92.7%), Poland (91.6%) and Bulgaria (90.7%).

Figure 5: Population aged 25-64 not participating in education or training by main reason, 2022
(%)
Source: Eurostat (trng_aes_195)

Looking at non-learners in the EU who wanted to participate but did not due to obstacles shows that these are more likely to be women, young people or those with tertiary education, as shown in Figure 6. Considering the breakdown by sex, 20.6% of female non-learners wanted to participate but encountered difficulties, compared to 17.8% of men. Looking at age, the share of those aged 25-34 (26.1%) who wanted to participate but encountered difficulties was more than double that of those aged 55-64 (12.6%). On educational attainment, 23.8% of non-learners with a high level of education wanted to participate but encountered difficulties, while it was only 17.1% for those with a low level of education. The share of those who wanted to participate but did not due to obstacles was also relatively high for those with a medium level of education with general orientation (20.9%) while it was only 17.6% for those with a medium level of education with vocational orientation.

Figure 6: Population aged 25-64 not participating in education or training by main reason, sex, age and educational attainment level, EU, 2022
(%)
Source: Eurostat (trng_aes_195), (trng_aes_196) and (trng_aes_197)

As regards the types of obstacles faced by non-learners who wanted to participate, the sample size of the survey allows only for a distinction between personal (health, age, other personal reasons) or non-personal reasons (costs, lack of employer support, schedule, distance, family responsibilities). In the EU, 38.2% of non-learners who wanted to participate in adult learning indicated that they did not due to personal reasons, and for 61.8% it was due to non-personal reasons.

Source data for tables and graphs

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Data sources

The adult education survey (AES) is the source of all information in this article. The AES covers adults’ participation in education and training (formal, non-formal and informal learning) and is one of the main data sources for EU lifelong learning statistics. Until 2016 AES, it covered adults of working age (25–64 years), since 2022 it covers all adults aged 18-69 years.

AES – reference period and data collection period

The survey refers to all learning activities in which respondents may have participated during a 12-month period prior to the interview. The data collection for the 2022 AES took place between June 2022 and March 2023 in the majority of countries. For simplicity, data are referred to as “2022” in this article.

AES – waves

Four waves of the AES have been implemented so far, in 2007, 2011, 2016 and 2022. The first was a pilot exercise and was carried out on a voluntary basis, while since 2011, AES is underpinned by legal acts: Commission Regulation (EU) No 823/2010 for 2011 AES, Commission Regulation (EU) No 1175/2014 for 2016 AES, and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/861 for 2022 AES.

Classification

Levels of educational attainment

Common definitions for education systems have been agreed between the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), the OECD and Eurostat. UNESCO developed the International standard classification of education (ISCED) to facilitate comparisons across countries on the basis of uniform and internationally agreed definitions. In 2011, a revision to the ISCED was formally adopted, referred to as ISCED 2011. Prior to this, ISCED 1997 was used as the common standard for classifying education systems. For more information, see the article on the ISCED classification.

Levels of educational attainment are as follows

less than primary, primary or lower secondary level of education (ISCED 2011 levels 0–2; referred to as a low educational attainment level or low level of education);
upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education (ISCED 2011 levels 3 and 4; referred to as medium educational attainment level or medium level of education); at this level, information whether the programme had general or vocational orientation is available;
tertiary education (ISCED 2011 levels 5–8; referred to as a high educational attainment level or high level of education).

Key concepts – formal and non-formal education and training

The fundamental criterion to distinguish learning activities from non-learning activities is that the activity must be intentional (and not by chance — ‘random learning’), in other words, a deliberate search for knowledge, skills, competences or attitudes.

Broad categories of learning activities are defined in the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011). The Classification of learning activities (CLA) provides further details, in particular for non-formal learning activities.

Formal education and training is defined as “education that is institutionalised, intentional and planned through public organisations and recognised private bodies and – in their totality – constitute the formal education system of a country. Formal education programmes are thus recognised as such by the relevant national education authorities or equivalent authorities, e.g. any other institution in cooperation with the national or sub-national education authorities. Formal education consists mostly of initial education. Vocational education, special needs education and some parts of adult education are often recognised as being part of the formal education system.” (ISCED 2011)

Non-formal education and training is defined as “education that is institutionalised, intentional and planned by an education provider. The defining characteristic of non-formal education is that it is an addition, alternative and/or complement to formal education within the process of the lifelong learning of individuals. It is often provided to guarantee the right of access to education for all. It caters to people of all ages but does not necessarily apply a continuous pathway-structure; it may be short in duration and/or low-intensity, and it is typically provided in the form of short courses, workshops or seminars. Non-formal education mostly leads to qualifications that are not recognised as formal or equivalent to formal qualifications by the relevant national or sub-national education authorities or to no qualifications at all. Non-formal education can cover programmes contributing to adult and youth literacy and education for out-of-school children, as well as programmes on life skills, work skills, and social or cultural development.” (ISCED 2011)

In short, non-formal education and training covers institutionalised taught learning activities outside the formal education system.

The CLA further distinguishes the following broad categories of non-formal education:

non-formal programmes;
courses (which are further distinguished into classroom instruction, private lessons and combined theoretical-practical courses including workshops);
guided-on-the-job training.

Key concepts – labour status

In the AES, the self-perceived activity status is collected, i.e. the information if an individual is employed, unemployed or outside the labour force refers to the person’s own perception of his/her current main activity status. It does not apply criteria of a specific concept or definition, e.g. of labour market participation as defined by the International Labour Organisation as it is done in the EU labour force survey.

Tables in this article use the following notation:

Value in italics: data value is forecasted, provisional or estimated and is therefore likely to change;
':' not available, confidential or unreliable value.

Context

Upskilling – Reskilling

Adults with a low level of educational attainment and a lack of skills are more likely to earn lower than average wages and are more vulnerable to the precarious nature of the labour market. These individuals often suffer from a lack of basic skills that are increasingly considered as essential for a modern-day economy: literacy, numeracy and technological skills (‘digital literacy’). Indeed, in a world that is increasingly characterised by technological change and more precarious employment opportunities, it becomes increasingly unlikely that people can rely on the skills they acquire at school/university to last them until the end of their working lives.

There are a variety of paths that people can potentially follow to gain additional education and training beyond the formal education and training system. Lifelong learning strategies imply investing in people and knowledge — promoting the acquisition of basic skills and providing opportunities for innovative, more flexible forms of learning. They aim to provide people of all ages with equal access to high-quality learning opportunities, and to a variety of learning experiences designed to increase employability, social inclusion and active citizenship.

For some people the decision to re-engage in education and training is a difficult one: it is therefore likely that a range of different approaches is required to offer participants flexible pathways. These may comprise formal, non-formal and informal learning, so that individuals engage in up-skilling or re-skilling to improve their employment opportunities and lives in general. Investment in adult skills has the potential to improve an individual’s quality of life by raising potential earnings, increase their job satisfaction and job opportunities, or promote their social mobility. From a policy perspective, adult education and training has the potential to help the EU to boost its competitiveness in globalised markets, develop a more highly skilled workforce to meet employers’ demands, keep an ageing workforce productive and move people out of welfare. Such developments are increasingly important in a global context, given the rapid increase in the level of educational attainment and skills among the workforces of emerging and developing economies.

In the Porto Social Commitment of 7 May 2021, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, the European social partners and civil society organisations endorsed the target that at least 60% of all adults should participate in training every year by 2030.

The right to education, training and lifelong learning is enshrined in the European Pillar of Social Rights (principle 1) which stipulates that “everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society and manage successfully transitions in the labour market.” Actions and initiatives at European level provide support to national institutions and individuals to increase the participation of adults in learning and training activities.

The European Skills Agenda outlines a five-year plan to help individuals and businesses develop more and better skills and to put them to use. Actions of the skills agenda also refer to tools and initiatives to support people in their lifelong learning pathways.

Within the European employment strategy Council decision (EU) 2020/1512 revised the employment guidelines. Guideline 6 concerns “enhancing labour supply and improving access to employment, skills and competences”. Among others, this guideline calls Member States to enable everyone to anticipate and better adapt to labour-market needs, in particular through continuous upskilling and reskilling.

Explore further

Database

Education and training (educ), see:

Participation in education and training (educ_part)

Adult learning (trng)

Thematic section

Education and training

Methodology

Metadata

Adult education survey (ESMS metadata file — trng_aes_12m_esms)

Manuals and other methodological information

Further methodological information on adult learning

External links

Legislation

AES legal basis