Education in Thessalia, Greece: official figures
The share of adults aged 25 to 64 with a degree-level (tertiary) education was 31.4% in 2025, against 34.9% for Greece and 36.9% across the EU; 4th highest of 13 regions in Greece.
How many people in Thessaly have a degree?
129,229 residents of Thessaly held a university-level degree in 2021, 188 per 1,000 residents; 21,988 of them had a master's or doctorate, including 3,051 doctorate holders.
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyAre graduates unemployed in Thessaly?
Unemployment among graduates in Thessaly was 12.1% at the 2021 census, compared with 15.7% for the whole labour force.
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyWhat is the illiteracy rate in Thessaly?
The 2021 census recorded 14,010 people in Thessaly who cannot read or write, 20.4 per 1,000 residents (Greece: 12.5).
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyHow many primary schools are there in Thessaly?
35,851 pupils were enrolled in 332 primary schools in Thessaly at the end of the 2023/24 school year, taught by 4,966 teachers.
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyWhat is the pupil-teacher ratio in Thessaly?
Primary schools in Thessaly had 7.2 pupils per teacher in 2023/24 (Greece: 7.2), 5th highest of 13 among the regions.
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyHow many secondary schools are there in Thessaly?
Thessaly had 126 gymnasia (lower secondary schools) with 21,554 pupils and 3,030 teachers at the end of 2023/24, 7.1 pupils per teacher.
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyWhat is the school dropout rate in Thessaly?
82 gymnasium pupils in Thessaly dropped out during 2023/24, 0.38% of enrolments against 0.67% nationally, 4th lowest of 13 among the regions.
Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copyHow many young people in Thessalia are NEET?
In 2025, 14.3% of 15 to 29-year-olds were not in employment, education or training (Greece: 13.6%; EU: 11.0%); 5th lowest of 13 regions in Greece. In 2015 it was 28.1%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many adults in Thessalia are in education or training?
5.3% of adults aged 25 to 64 had taken part in education or training in the previous four weeks in 2025 (Greece: 5.2%; EU: 13.7%); 3rd highest of 12 regions in Greece. In 2015 it was 2.4%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many adults in Thessalia have no qualifications?
20.0% of adults aged 25 to 64 had no qualification beyond lower secondary school in 2025 (Greece: 18.0%; EU: 18.8%); 5th lowest of 13 regions in Greece. In 2015 it was 33.1%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat education do adults in Thessalia have?
48.6% of adults aged 25 to 64 had an upper secondary or post-secondary (non-degree) education as their highest level in 2025 (Greece: 47.1%; EU: 44.3%); 6th highest of 13 regions in Greece. In 2015 it was 40.9%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many pupils and students are there in Thessalia?
Schools in Thessalia taught 36,162 primary pupils and 46,278 secondary pupils in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- 11.4% of the labour force in Thessaly had at most a primary-school education in 2021 (9.2% nationally). Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copy
- 309 primary pupils in Thessaly stopped attending school without justification in 2023/24. Source: Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) · saved copy
How Thessalia compares with other regions
Share of the labour force holding a degree, 2021 census (2021)
Thessalia ranks 3 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of the labour force holding a degree, 2021 census |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Attica | 41.1% |
| 2 | Central Macedonia | 34.6% |
| 3 | Thessalia | 32.9% |
| 4 | Ipeiros | 32.8% |
| 5 | Voreio Aigaio | 31.5% |
| 6 | Dytiki Makedonia | 31.0% |
| 7 | Crete | 29.8% |
Unemployment rate among graduates, 2021 census (2021)
Thessalia ranks 4 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Unemployment rate among graduates, 2021 census |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dytiki Makedonia | 14.8% |
| 2 | Dytiki Elláda | 13.0% |
| 3 | Central Macedonia | 12.3% |
| 4 | Thessalia | 12.1% |
| 5 | Anatoliki Makedonia, Thraki | 12.1% |
| 6 | Sterea Elláda | 11.8% |
| 7 | Peloponnisos | 11.5% |
Primary pupils per teacher, 2023/24 (2023/24)
Thessalia ranks 5 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Primary pupils per teacher, 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Peloponnisos | 7.6 |
| 3 | Notio Aigaio | 7.5 |
| 4 | Anatoliki Makedonia, Thraki | 7.4 |
| 5 | Thessalia | 7.2 |
| 6 | Sterea Elláda | 7.2 |
| 7 | Dytiki Elláda | 7.2 |
| 8 | Central Macedonia | 7.1 |
Gymnasium dropout rate, 2023/24 (2023/24)
Thessalia ranks 10 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Gymnasium dropout rate, 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Attica | 0.66% |
| 8 | Crete | 0.56% |
| 9 | Notio Aigaio | 0.42% |
| 10 | Thessalia | 0.38% |
| 11 | Ionia Nisia | 0.34% |
| 12 | Dytiki Elláda | 0.30% |
| 13 | Dytiki Makedonia | 0.14% |
Young people (15-29) not in employment, education or training (2025)
Thessalia ranks 9 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Young people (15-29) not in employment, education or training |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Central Macedonia | 15.2% |
| 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% |
Adults (25-64) in education or training in the last 4 weeks (2025)
Thessalia ranks 3 of 12, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults (25-64) in education or training in the last 4 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Attica | 6.9% |
| 2 | Central Macedonia | 5.5% |
| 3 | Thessalia | 5.3% |
| 4 | Voreio Aigaio | 5.2% |
| 5 | Anatoliki Makedonia, Thraki | 4.6% |
| 6 | Dytiki Elláda | 4.2% |
| 7 | Dytiki Makedonia | 4.0% |
Adults (25-64) with at most lower secondary education (2025)
Thessalia ranks 9 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults (25-64) with at most lower secondary education |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Sterea Elláda | 24.8% |
| 7 | Crete | 24.0% |
| 8 | Ipeiros | 22.2% |
| 9 | Thessalia | 20.0% |
| 10 | Dytiki Makedonia | 19.1% |
| 11 | Voreio Aigaio | 18.1% |
| 12 | Central Macedonia | 17.1% |
Adults (25-64) whose highest level is upper secondary (2025)
Thessalia ranks 6 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults (25-64) whose highest level is upper secondary |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Dytiki Makedonia | 52.6% |
| 4 | Sterea Elláda | 50.4% |
| 5 | Peloponnisos | 48.7% |
| 6 | Thessalia | 48.6% |
| 7 | Notio Aigaio | 48.6% |
| 8 | Dytiki Elláda | 48.3% |
| 9 | Crete | 47.5% |
More on Thessalia: 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_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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