Education in Crete, Greece: official figures
The share of adults aged 25 to 64 with a degree-level (tertiary) education was 28.5% in 2025, against 34.9% for Greece and 36.9% across the EU; 5th highest of 13 regions in Greece.
How many people in Crete have a degree?
115,300 residents of Crete held a university-level degree in 2021, 185 per 1,000 residents; 21,734 of them had a master's or doctorate, including 3,671 doctorate holders.
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyAre graduates unemployed in Crete?
Unemployment among graduates in Crete was 9.0% at the 2021 census, compared with 11.2% for the whole labour force.
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyWhat is the illiteracy rate in Crete?
The 2021 census recorded 6,284 people in Crete who cannot read or write, 10.1 per 1,000 residents (Greece: 12.5).
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyHow many primary schools are there in Crete?
39,823 pupils were enrolled in 311 primary schools in Crete at the end of the 2023/24 school year, taught by 6,197 teachers.
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyWhat is the pupil-teacher ratio in Crete?
Primary schools in Crete had 6.4 pupils per teacher in 2023/24 (Greece: 7.2), 3rd lowest of 13 among the regions.
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyHow many secondary schools are there in Crete?
Crete had 110 gymnasia (lower secondary schools) with 22,721 pupils and 2,910 teachers at the end of 2023/24, 7.8 pupils per teacher.
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyWhat is the school dropout rate in Crete?
129 gymnasium pupils in Crete dropped out during 2023/24, 0.56% of enrolments against 0.67% nationally, 6th lowest of 13 among the regions.
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyHow many young people in Crete leave school early?
The early school leaving rate was 9.5% in 2017 (18 to 24-year-olds with no upper secondary qualification who are not in education or training), against 6.0% for Greece as a whole and 10.5% across the EU; 4th lowest of 9 regions in Greece. In 2012 it was 17.5%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many young people in Crete are NEET?
In 2025, 12.1% of 15 to 29-year-olds were not in employment, education or training, compared with 13.6% nationally and 11.0% in the EU; 2nd lowest of 13 regions in Greece. In 2015 it was 24.6%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many adults in Crete are in education or training?
3.1% of adults aged 25 to 64 had taken part in education or training in the previous four weeks in 2025, compared with 5.2% nationally and 13.7% in the EU; 3rd lowest of 12 regions in Greece. In 2015 it was 2.0%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many adults in Crete have no qualifications?
In 2025, 24.0% of 25 to 64-year-olds had left education with at most a lower secondary education, compared with 18.0% nationally and 18.8% in the EU; 7th highest of 13 regions in Greece. In 2015 it was 36.5%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat education do adults in Crete have?
47.5% of adults aged 25 to 64 had an upper secondary or post-secondary (non-degree) education as their highest level in 2025, compared with 47.1% nationally and 44.3% in the EU; 5th lowest of 13 regions in Greece. In 2015 it was 39.3%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many pupils and students are there in Crete?
Schools in Crete taught 40,173 primary pupils and 48,530 secondary pupils in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- 12.3% of the labour force in Crete had at most a primary-school education in 2021 (9.2% nationally). Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copy
- 216 primary pupils in Crete stopped attending school without justification in 2023/24. Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copy
How Crete compares with other regions
Share of the labour force holding a degree, 2021 census (2021)
Crete ranks 7 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of the labour force holding a degree, 2021 census |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Ipeiros | 32.8% |
| 5 | Voreio Aigaio | 31.5% |
| 6 | Dytiki Makedonia | 31.0% |
| 7 | Crete | 29.8% |
| 8 | Anatoliki Makedonia, Thraki | 28.8% |
| 9 | Dytiki Elláda | 27.9% |
| 10 | Sterea Elláda | 26.6% |
Unemployment rate among graduates, 2021 census (2021)
Crete ranks 11 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Unemployment rate among graduates, 2021 census |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Peloponnisos | 11.5% |
| 8 | Ipeiros | 11.5% |
| 9 | Ionia Nisia | 11.4% |
| 10 | Voreio Aigaio | 11.2% |
| 11 | Crete | 9.0% |
| 12 | Notio Aigaio | 8.9% |
| 13 | Attica | 8.7% |
Primary pupils per teacher, 2023/24 (2023/24)
Crete ranks 11 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Primary pupils per teacher, 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Dytiki Elláda | 7.2 |
| 8 | Central Macedonia | 7.1 |
| 9 | Ipeiros | 7.0 |
| 10 | Ionia Nisia | 7.0 |
| 11 | Crete | 6.4 |
| 12 | Dytiki Makedonia | 5.9 |
| 13 | Voreio Aigaio | 5.9 |
Gymnasium dropout rate, 2023/24 (2023/24)
Crete ranks 8 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Gymnasium dropout rate, 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Central Macedonia | 0.78% |
| 6 | Peloponnisos | 0.76% |
| 7 | Attica | 0.66% |
| 8 | Crete | 0.56% |
| 9 | Notio Aigaio | 0.42% |
| 10 | Thessalia | 0.38% |
| 11 | Ionia Nisia | 0.34% |
Early leavers from education and training (age 18-24) (2017)
Crete ranks 6 of 9, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Early leavers from education and training (age 18-24) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Dytiki Elláda | 12.1% |
| 4 | Notio Aigaio | 11.8% |
| 5 | Sterea Elláda | 11.4% |
| 6 | Crete | 9.5% |
| 7 | Peloponnisos | 8.3% |
| 8 | Central Macedonia | 5.0% |
| 9 | Attica | 2.8% |
Young people (15-29) not in employment, education or training (2025)
Crete ranks 12 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Young people (15-29) not in employment, education or training |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Dytiki Makedonia | 15.0% |
| 8 | Peloponnisos | 14.6% |
| 9 | Thessalia | 14.3% |
| 10 | Dytiki Elláda | 14.1% |
| 11 | Sterea Elláda | 13.5% |
| 12 | Crete | 12.1% |
| 13 | Attica | 10.8% |
Adults (25-64) in education or training in the last 4 weeks (2025)
Crete ranks 10 of 12, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults (25-64) in education or training in the last 4 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Dytiki Elláda | 4.2% |
| 7 | Dytiki Makedonia | 4.0% |
| 8 | Ipeiros | 3.9% |
| 9 | Sterea Elláda | 3.2% |
| 10 | Crete | 3.1% |
| 11 | Notio Aigaio | 2.7% |
| 12 | Peloponnisos | 2.6% |
Adults (25-64) with at most lower secondary education (2025)
Crete ranks 7 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults (25-64) with at most lower secondary education |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Peloponnisos | 25.5% |
| 5 | Ionia Nisia | 25.5% |
| 6 | Sterea Elláda | 24.8% |
| 7 | Crete | 24.0% |
| 8 | Ipeiros | 22.2% |
| 9 | Thessalia | 20.0% |
| 10 | Dytiki Makedonia | 19.1% |
Adults (25-64) whose highest level is upper secondary (2025)
Crete ranks 9 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults (25-64) whose highest level is upper secondary |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Thessalia | 48.6% |
| 7 | Notio Aigaio | 48.6% |
| 8 | Dytiki Elláda | 48.3% |
| 9 | Crete | 47.5% |
| 10 | Central Macedonia | 46.5% |
| 11 | Attica | 45.6% |
| 12 | Anatoliki Makedonia, Thraki | 43.7% |
More on Crete: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government and politics · Greece
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset edat_lfse_04: Adults (25-64) with a degree-level education, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6ff9f4bfff72…)
- Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT): 2021 Population-Housing Census tables SAM04 A01 (residents by sex, education and activity status, regional units), SAM04 B03 (same, municipalities), SAM05 A01 (conventional dwellings by occupancy, period of construction and building type), SAM05 A07 (occupied dwellings by floor space per person) and SAM05 B02 (occupied dwellings by tenure), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 86872ba6c2c0…)
- 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 edat_lfse_16: Early leavers from education and training by sex and NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c3cc66b98a4a…)
- 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…)
- Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT): Primary schools (SED12 tables 01L, 04L, 13L, 14L) and lower secondary schools / gymnasia (SED21 tables 01L, 04AL, 08L, 09L) by region and prefecture, end of school year 2023/24, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 ed8244b2e393…)
- 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…)
- 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…)
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