Education in Saarland, Germany: official figures
The share of adults aged 25 to 64 with a degree-level (tertiary) education was 28.1% in 2025, against 35.4% for Germany and 36.9% across the EU; 15th highest of 16 states in Germany.
How many pupils are there in Saarland?
97,348 pupils attended general schools in Saarland in the 2025/26 school year, 1.1% of all pupils in Germany.
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copyHow many children go to private school in Saarland?
7.9% of pupils in Saarland attended a private school in 2025/26, 6th lowest of 16 Länder (Germany: 9.1%).
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copyHow many teachers are there in Saarland?
Saarland had 9,370 full- and part-time teachers at general schools in 2025/26 (75% women), about 10.4 pupils per teacher against 11.8 nationally.
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copyHow many pupils leave school without qualifications in Saarland?
1,032 young people left school in Saarland in 2025 without even the first school-leaving certificate, 11.8% of their age group and 3rd highest of 16 Länder (Germany: 8.3%).
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copyWhat percentage of pupils get the Abitur in Saarland?
2,629 young people in Saarland gained the Abitur (general higher-education entrance qualification) in 2025 at general or vocational schools, 29.2% of the age group and 2nd lowest of 15 Länder (Germany: 33.9%).
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copyHow many children are in full-day childcare in Saarland?
In 2024, 63.8% of children aged 3 to 5 and 28.7% of those under 3 in Saarland were in full-day childcare (more than seven hours a day), compared with 47.0% and 20.0% nationally.
Source: Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder (Arbeitskreis Nachhaltigkeitsindikatoren) · saved copyHow many young people in Saarland are NEET?
13.0% of young people aged 15 to 29 were neither in work nor in education or training (NEET) in 2025 (Germany: 9.5%; EU: 11.0%); 3rd highest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 10.5%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many adults in Saarland are in education or training?
9.0% of adults aged 25 to 64 had taken part in education or training in the previous four weeks in 2025 (Germany: 9.3%; EU: 13.7%); 6th lowest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 5.6%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many adults in Saarland have no qualifications?
17.2% of adults aged 25 to 64 had no qualification beyond lower secondary school in 2025 (Germany: 14.2%; EU: 18.8%); 3rd highest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 15.9%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat education do adults in Saarland have?
54.7% of adults aged 25 to 64 had an upper secondary or post-secondary (non-degree) education as their highest level in 2025 (Germany: 50.4%; EU: 44.3%); 6th highest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 64.4%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many pupils and students are there in Saarland?
Schools in Saarland taught 35,671 primary pupils and 78,974 secondary pupils in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- 22.2% of pupils in Saarland held a foreign nationality in 2025/26 (Germany: 16.3%). Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copy
- 2.0% of pupils in Saarland were repeating a school year in 2025/26 (1,491 pupils), 8th highest of 16 Länder. Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copy
- 51.3% of 30- to 34-year-olds in Saarland held an academic or higher vocational qualification in 2025 (Germany: 60.0%). Source: Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder (Arbeitskreis Nachhaltigkeitsindikatoren) · saved copy
How Saarland compares with other states
School leavers without a first school-leaving certificate (% of age group) (2025)
Saarland ranks 3 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | School leavers without a first school-leaving certificate (% of age group) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saxony-Anhalt | 13.2% |
| 2 | Thuringia | 11.9% |
| 3 | Saarland | 11.8% |
| 4 | Bremen | 11.3% |
| 5 | Berlin | 10.4% |
| 6 | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 10.4% |
| 7 | Lower Saxony | 9.8% |
Abitur rate (% of age group) (2025)
Saarland ranks 14 of 15, highest first. Bavaria left out: very few Abitur graduates in 2025
| Rank | Region | Abitur rate (% of age group) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Hesse | 35.2% |
| 10 | Lower Saxony | 34.8% |
| 11 | Saxony | 34.5% |
| 12 | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 33.3% |
| 13 | Thuringia | 31.8% |
| 14 | Saarland | 29.2% |
| 15 | Saxony-Anhalt | 27.1% |
Pupils per teacher at general schools (headcount) (2025/26)
Saarland ranks 16 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Pupils per teacher at general schools (headcount) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Schleswig-Holstein | 11.9 |
| 11 | Hesse | 11.4 |
| 12 | Hamburg | 11.3 |
| 13 | Bremen | 11.0 |
| 14 | North Rhine-Westphalia | 10.8 |
| 15 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 10.6 |
| 16 | Saarland | 10.4 |
Share of pupils at private schools (2025/26)
Saarland ranks 11 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of pupils at private schools |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Thuringia | 9.8% |
| 9 | North Rhine-Westphalia | 8.3% |
| 10 | Hamburg | 8.1% |
| 11 | Saarland | 7.9% |
| 12 | Bremen | 7.9% |
| 13 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 7.8% |
| 14 | Hesse | 7.5% |
Children aged 3 to 5 in full-day childcare (2024)
Saarland ranks 6 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Children aged 3 to 5 in full-day childcare |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Saxony-Anhalt | 81.2% |
| 4 | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 74.4% |
| 5 | Brandenburg | 64.8% |
| 6 | Saarland | 63.8% |
| 7 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 55.9% |
| 8 | Berlin | 55.2% |
| 9 | Hesse | 54.3% |
Young people (15-29) not in employment, education or training (2025)
Saarland ranks 3 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Young people (15-29) not in employment, education or training |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berlin | 13.9% |
| 2 | Bremen | 13.9% |
| 3 | Saarland | 13.0% |
| 4 | Brandenburg | 11.9% |
| 5 | Saxony-Anhalt | 10.9% |
| 6 | Thuringia | 10.6% |
| 7 | North Rhine-Westphalia | 10.2% |
Adults (25-64) in education or training in the last 4 weeks (2025)
Saarland ranks 11 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults (25-64) in education or training in the last 4 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Saxony | 9.3% |
| 9 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 9.2% |
| 10 | Schleswig-Holstein | 9.2% |
| 11 | Saarland | 9.0% |
| 12 | Bavaria | 8.2% |
| 13 | Thuringia | 8.1% |
| 14 | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 7.6% |
Adults (25-64) with at most lower secondary education (2025)
Saarland ranks 3 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults (25-64) with at most lower secondary education |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bremen | 23.3% |
| 2 | North Rhine-Westphalia | 18.0% |
| 3 | Saarland | 17.2% |
| 4 | Hesse | 16.4% |
| 5 | Lower Saxony | 16.1% |
| 6 | Berlin | 15.1% |
| 7 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 15.0% |
Adults (25-64) whose highest level is upper secondary (2025)
Saarland ranks 6 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults (25-64) whose highest level is upper secondary |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Thuringia | 62.6% |
| 4 | Saxony | 58.5% |
| 5 | Brandenburg | 57.8% |
| 6 | Saarland | 54.7% |
| 7 | Schleswig-Holstein | 53.7% |
| 8 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 51.7% |
| 9 | Lower Saxony | 50.9% |
More on Saarland: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Germany
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset edat_lfse_04: Adults (25-64) with a degree-level education, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6ff9f4bfff72…)
- Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis): Statistischer Bericht: Allgemeinbildende Schulen, Schuljahr 2025/2026, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 eda75dad3048…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset edat_lfse_22: Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET) by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1467a7225373…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset trng_lfse_04: Participation rate of adults in education and training (last 4 weeks) by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 42ceced85786…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset educ_uoe_enra11: Pupils and students enrolled by education level, sex and NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 20b6224cca4f…)
- Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder (Arbeitskreis Nachhaltigkeitsindikatoren): Nachhaltigkeitsindikatoren der Länder: Tabellenband mit kompletten Zeitreihen zu allen Indikatoren (October 2026 edition), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5f3f1b692389…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset edat_lfse_04: Population aged 25-64 by educational attainment level, sex and NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 63810622cd71…)
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