Education in Sardinia, Italy: official figures
The share of adults aged 25 to 64 with a degree-level (tertiary) education was 18.4% in 2025, against 22.3% for Italy and 36.9% across the EU; 20th highest of 21 regions in Italy.
How many children go to nursery in Sardinia?
41.7% of children under three in Sardinia were enrolled in a nursery (asilo nido) in 2024 (Italy 37.4%), 7th highest of 21 regions and autonomous provinces, up from 29.1% in 2019.
Source: Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics) · saved copyHow do students in Sardinia do in INVALSI maths tests?
57.9% of pupils in the third year of lower secondary school (age 13) in Sardinia did not reach an adequate level in the 2025 national INVALSI maths tests (Italy 44.3%); 3rd highest of 21 regions and autonomous provinces, up from 57.0% in 2021.
Source: Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics) · saved copyHow good are reading skills of students in Sardinia?
49.1% of 13-year-old pupils in Sardinia fell short of adequate reading comprehension in the 2025 INVALSI tests (Italy 41.4%), 4th highest of 21 regions and autonomous provinces, up from 45.9% in 2021.
Source: Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics) · saved copyHow many students in Sardinia go to university?
51.7% of students from Sardinia who finished secondary school enrolled at university in the academic year starting 2023 (Italy 52.4%), 4th lowest of 21 regions and autonomous provinces, up from 50.1% in 2018.
Source: Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics) · saved copyHow many children attend pre-school in Sardinia?
96.5% of four- and five-year-olds in Sardinia attended pre-school or school in 2024 (Italy 95.0%), down from 97.9% in 2019.
Source: Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics) · saved copyHow many people in Sardinia have digital skills?
43.3% of people aged 16 to 74 in Sardinia had at least basic digital skills in 2023 (Italy 45.9%).
Source: Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics) · saved copyHow many adults in Sardinia take part in training?
12.7% of adults aged 25 to 64 in Sardinia took part in education or training in the four weeks before the 2025 survey (Italy 10.8%), up from 8.6% in 2020.
Source: Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics) · saved copyHow many STEM graduates does Sardinia produce?
Universities produced 13.5 new science, technology, engineering and maths graduates per 1,000 residents aged 20 to 29 of Sardinia in 2022 (Italy 17.7), up from 12.7 in 2017.
Source: Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics) · saved copyHow many young people in Sardinia leave school early?
13.6% of 18 to 24-year-olds had left education and training early, with at most lower secondary schooling, in 2025, compared with 8.2% nationally and 9.1% in the EU; 2nd highest of 19 regions in Italy. In 2015 it was 22.9%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many young people in Sardinia are NEET?
15.7% of young people aged 15 to 29 were neither in work nor in education or training (NEET) in 2025, compared with 13.3% nationally and 11.0% in the EU; 5th highest of 20 regions in Italy. In 2015 it was 31.8%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many adults in Sardinia are in education or training?
12.7% of adults aged 25 to 64 had taken part in education or training in the previous four weeks in 2025, compared with 10.8% nationally and 13.7% in the EU; 6th highest of 21 regions in Italy. In 2015 it was 7.8%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many adults in Sardinia have no qualifications?
42.8% of adults aged 25 to 64 had no qualification beyond lower secondary school in 2025, compared with 33.0% nationally and 18.8% in the EU; 2nd highest of 21 regions in Italy. In 2015 it was 50.4%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat education do adults in Sardinia have?
38.8% of adults aged 25 to 64 had an upper secondary or post-secondary (non-degree) education as their highest level in 2025, compared with 44.7% nationally and 44.3% in the EU; the lowest of 21 regions in Italy. In 2015 it was 34.9%.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many pupils and students are there in Sardinia?
Schools in Sardinia taught 57,892 primary pupils and 110,855 secondary pupils in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Sardinia compares with other regions
Children aged 0-2 enrolled in nursery (%) (2024)
Sardinia ranks 7 of 21, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Children aged 0-2 enrolled in nursery (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Tuscany | 43.3% |
| 5 | Lazio | 43.2% |
| 6 | Molise | 42.6% |
| 7 | Sardinia | 41.7% |
| 8 | Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste | 39.5% |
| 9 | Abruzzo | 39.3% |
| 10 | Piedmont | 38.9% |
Pupils (year 8) with inadequate maths skills (%) (2025)
Sardinia ranks 3 of 21, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Pupils (year 8) with inadequate maths skills (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sicily | 62.0% |
| 2 | Calabria | 59.5% |
| 3 | Sardinia | 57.9% |
| 4 | Campania | 56.8% |
| 5 | Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen | 48.6% |
| 6 | Basilicata | 47.8% |
| 7 | Apulia | 47.7% |
Pupils (year 8) with inadequate reading skills (%) (2025)
Sardinia ranks 4 of 21, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Pupils (year 8) with inadequate reading skills (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen | 53.4% |
| 2 | Sicily | 53.3% |
| 3 | Calabria | 50.8% |
| 4 | Sardinia | 49.1% |
| 5 | Campania | 48.6% |
| 6 | Liguria | 44.0% |
| 7 | Apulia | 41.9% |
Adults aged 25-64 with at least upper secondary education (%) (2025)
Sardinia ranks 20 of 21, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults aged 25-64 with at least upper secondary education (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Basilicata | 66.7% |
| 16 | Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste | 63.6% |
| 17 | Calabria | 61.0% |
| 18 | Campania | 58.8% |
| 19 | Apulia | 57.4% |
| 20 | Sardinia | 57.2% |
| 21 | Sicily | 56.6% |
School leavers going on to university (%) (2023)
Sardinia ranks 18 of 21, highest first.
| Rank | Region | School leavers going on to university (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Piedmont | 55.1% |
| 16 | Veneto | 53.6% |
| 17 | Apulia | 53.6% |
| 18 | Sardinia | 51.7% |
| 19 | Sicily | 50.7% |
| 20 | Campania | 38.9% |
| 21 | Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen | 20.7% |
Early leavers from education and training (age 18-24) (2025)
Sardinia ranks 2 of 19, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Early leavers from education and training (age 18-24) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sicily | 13.7% |
| 2 | Sardinia | 13.6% |
| 3 | Tuscany | 9.8% |
| 4 | Campania | 9.7% |
| 5 | Liguria | 9.3% |
| 6 | Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen | 9.0% |
| 7 | Apulia | 8.6% |
Young people (15-29) not in employment, education or training (2025)
Sardinia ranks 5 of 20, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Young people (15-29) not in employment, education or training |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Campania | 21.5% |
| 3 | Calabria | 20.9% |
| 4 | Apulia | 19.0% |
| 5 | Sardinia | 15.7% |
| 6 | Basilicata | 14.9% |
| 7 | Liguria | 14.0% |
| 8 | Abruzzo | 14.0% |
Adults (25-64) in education or training in the last 4 weeks (2025)
Sardinia ranks 6 of 21, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults (25-64) in education or training in the last 4 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Veneto | 13.3% |
| 4 | Umbria | 13.2% |
| 5 | Emilia-Romagna | 13.1% |
| 6 | Sardinia | 12.7% |
| 7 | Lombardy | 11.8% |
| 8 | Tuscany | 11.7% |
| 9 | Liguria | 11.4% |
Adults (25-64) with at most lower secondary education (2025)
Sardinia ranks 2 of 21, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults (25-64) with at most lower secondary education |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sicily | 43.4% |
| 2 | Sardinia | 42.8% |
| 3 | Apulia | 42.6% |
| 4 | Campania | 41.2% |
| 5 | Calabria | 39.0% |
| 6 | Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste | 36.4% |
| 7 | Basilicata | 33.3% |
Adults (25-64) whose highest level is upper secondary (2025)
Sardinia ranks 21 of 21, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Adults (25-64) whose highest level is upper secondary |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Tuscany | 45.2% |
| 16 | Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste | 42.6% |
| 17 | Calabria | 42.4% |
| 18 | Campania | 40.1% |
| 19 | Sicily | 39.7% |
| 20 | Apulia | 38.9% |
| 21 | Sardinia | 38.8% |
More on Sardinia: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Italy
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset edat_lfse_04: Adults (25-64) with a degree-level education, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6ff9f4bfff72…)
- 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_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 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…)
- Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics): BES (equitable and sustainable well-being) indicators by region, interim update April 2026: indicatori_regione_sesso.xlsx, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9003db40394e…)
- 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 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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