Number of diplomas declining, 9-year education most affected

The decline in the young population is significantly reducing the education sector and consequently the future workforce. Official INSTAT data on graduations show that in the academic year 2023-2024 at all levels of education the number of diplomas received fell by 1 percent compared to the academic year 2022-2023.

The largest decline was in graduates of 9-year education due to the strongest population reduction in this age group from low birth rates and high emigration among young people in the last decade.

In the 2023-24 school year, 82,712 students graduated from formal education, with an annual decrease of 1%.

In 9-year education, out of 27,705 graduates, an annual decrease of 2.7%.

In upper secondary education, 26,729 graduates graduated, 1.3% less, compared to the previous academic year.

In higher vocational secondary education, out of 3,174 graduates, an annual decrease of 1.2%.

In the 2023-2024 academic year, out of 28,193 students graduating from higher education, 65.8% were female students.

The field of “Business, Administration and Law” is the most preferred for women, with 25.9% of female graduates. The field of “Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction” is the most preferred for men, with 25.2% of male graduates.

In the 2023-2024 school year, 27,705 students graduated from 9-year education, of which 51.4% were male and 48.6% female. 26,729 students graduated from upper secondary education, of which 3,174 students graduated from vocational secondary education, with a male predominance of 82.7%.

Graduates of higher vocational secondary education make up 11.9% of the total number of graduates in upper secondary education. 85 people graduated from non-higher secondary education, of whom 24.7% were women and 75.3% were men. The fields in which they graduated are: “Real estate brokerage”, “Diagnostics-management in car service” and “Design and Fashion”.

Higher Education In the academic year 2023-2024, 28,193 students graduated from higher education. Students graduating from Bachelor's programs account for 51.3% of the total number of graduates, followed by Master's programs with 43.1%. In all higher education programs, 18,555 female students graduated in this academic year, or 65.8% of the total number of students graduating from higher education.

The field in which the most students graduated across all programs is "Business, Administration and Law" at 24.4% or about a quarter of the total number of graduates.

The analysis for each field of study shows that women, compared to men, have graduated more in “Social Sciences, Journalism and Information” (83.0%), followed by “Education Sciences” (81.7%) and “Health and Welfare” (78.9%). The fields in which men have graduated more compared to women are “Services” (67.3%), “Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction” (63.1%) and “Information and Communication Technology” (56.2%)./ Monitor