The bar chart illustrates the percentage of young people from six countries who studied at university in 2000 and 2007.
Overall, Poland and Finland had the highest percentages of young people attending university, while Italy had the lowest figure in 2000. Most countries experienced an increase between 2000 and 2007, particularly Poland and Italy, whereas Spain and Norway saw slight declines, and Finland remained unchanged.
In Italy, the UK, and Poland, the percentage of young people enrolled in universities rose over the period. In 2000, 38% of Italian youth and 64% of Polish youth studied at university, and the figures for both countries increased by 14 percentage points to 52% and 78%, respectively, in 2007. Similarly, the proportion of young people attending university in the UK rose from 46% to 54%.
By contrast, Spain and Norway experienced slight decreases in the proportion of young people attending university. In Spain, the figure fell from 46% in 2000 to 41% in 2007, while Norway witnessed a marginal decline from 66% to 65%. Meanwhile, Finland remained unchanged, with 70% of young people studying at university in both years.