94.4% of young children across the EU are now in early childhood education

New Eurostat figures show that in 2024, 94.4% of children in the European Union between age 3 and the start of compulsory primary school were taking part in early childhood education. In half of the EU's regions the participation rate has already reached the EU's 2030 target of 96%, and in 20 regions effectively every child in that age band is enrolled — including five capital regions at 100%. Early-years education is one of the strongest predictors of how a child does later in school and in life; near-universal access means that head start is becoming the normal experience of a European childhood, not a lucky one.

SDG 4 · Quality education