Percentage of children from the age of three up to the age of the start of compulsory primary education who do not participate in ECEC, selected Member States, 2024

Data table

Percentage of children from the age of three up to the age of the start of compulsory primary education who do not participate in ECEC, selected Member States, 2024

	Roma children	Children who are not AROPE	Children who are AROPE	All children
Bulgaria	32	3.5	15.9	8.1
Czechia	52	16.6	27.0	18.2
France	56	4.3	5.3	4.5
Greece	78	9.3	7.4	8.9
Hungary	26	0	0^u	0
Ireland (Roma)	67^‡	4.7	3.3	4.4
Ireland (Travellers)	32	4.7	3.3	4.4
Italy	39	4.9	14.4	7.6
Portugal	54	4.4	15.6	6.4
Romania	60	19.3	41.8	27.3
Spain	22	0.9	2.6	1.5

Notes: ‡, small sample size; u, low reliability.

Source: Data from Roma survey 2024 and EU-SILC.

Related content

This data item featured in the following outputs.

21 September 2026

Bridging the gap: Inequalities in access to early childhood education and care

While early childhood education and care (ECEC) has been at the heart of a number of recent EU initiatives, there is a risk that some children are being left behind. This article looks at participation rates in ECEC and seeks to examine how children at risk of poverty or social exclusion can access this important part of the education system.

Article

12 October 2026

Breaking the cycle: Can improving job quality solve the EU’s labour shortages?

Across the EU, labour shortages affect nearly all occupations identified, especially those facing challenging work environments and poor working time quality. By pinpointing job quality gaps linked to health and wellbeing, policymakers and employers can make these jobs more attractive and break the shortage cycle.

Article

New

1 September 2026

Minimum wages in 2026: Annual review

Minimum wage setting across the EU has become an increasingly dynamic and closely watched policy area, shaped by the transposition of the EU Minimum Wage Directive and a decade of sustained real-terms growth in statutory rates. This report examines the wage-setting discussions that took place across Member States and Norway in 2025, focusing on the countries with and without a national minimum wage, the interplay between minimum wages and collective bargaining in low-paid sectors, and the growing role of indicative reference values in shaping national decisions.

Research report