In 2022, 42% of EU residents aged between 25 and 34 had higher education, up 1 percentage point from 2021, according to Eurostat data.

This is still 3 per cent below the EU's target of 2030 per cent of Europeans aged 45 to 25 having a university degree by 34.

Eurostat: 15% of young Bulgarians up to 29 years of age neither study nor work

However, the differences between the two sexes are obvious. In 2022, 48 per cent of women aged between 25 and 34 per cent had higher education, compared to only 37 per cent of men.

At the same time, nearly half of EU member states have already met the EU's target of 45% of graduates in the 25-34 age category - Ireland (62%), Luxembourg (61%), Cyprus (59%), Lithuania (58%), the Netherlands (56%), Sweden (52%), Spain and Belgium (both 51%). France (50 per cent), Denmark (49 per cent), Slovenia (47 per cent), Latvia (46 per cent) and Greece (45 per cent).

At the opposite pole are Romania (25 per cent), Italy (29 per cent) and Hungary (32 per cent).