The table compares public investment in education and training with participation rates among youth aged 18-24 across five European countries in 2012. Overall, no clear correlation emerged between the two metrics. Slovenia channeled by far the highest share of public funds to this purpose, yet ranked second in participation rankings after Poland, which spent the least.
As for spending, Slovenians showed the highest expenditure rate, at 25%. This was nearly twice as high as the figure for Hungary, which stood second at 13%. Romania’s 10% and the Czech Republic’s 9% placed these countries next, but it was Poland that channeled the smallest portion of its budget to education and training, at a mere 5%.
Nevertheless, these figures were hardly reflected in youth participation. Despite its limited investment, Poland came first, with a striking 44% of its 18-24-year-olds engaged in education and training. Slovenia trailed behind, at 40%, while the figure for Hungarians was even more modest, at a third (34%). As in government spending, Czechs and Romanians were almost in par, with only around a quarter of their young population participating in education and training programs.
