Data presented on Monday by Eurostat show that, in 2024, 95% of children aged between 3 and the age of starting compulsory primary education in EU countries were enrolled in preschool education.
The percentage increased compared to 2014, when only 91.2% of children were enrolled in such forms of education.
The increase brings the European Union closer to achieving the target of at least 96% of children benefiting from early childhood education and care by 2030.
The highest participation rates of children in early childhood education were recorded in France (100%), Belgium (98.1%), Lithuania and Hungary (97.9% each).
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the lowest rates are in Romania (76.5%), Slovakia (81.8%) and the Czech Republic (86.4%).
The data also show that, at EU level, 95.1% of teachers in early childhood education were women.
The highest shares of female teachers were recorded in Romania (99.7%), Slovakia (99.6%) and Hungary (99.5%). At the other end of the spectrum, but still with high percentages, were the Netherlands (87.8%), France (91.6%), and Denmark (92.5%).
MAI MULT MEDIAFAX
