Eurostat data reveals aging teaching workforce and few young educators in Poland
Eurostat shows that the EU hired more teachers in 2024, with women comprising the majority and a sizable share being over 50, while Poland records one of the lowest proportions of teachers under 30.
According to Eurostat, the European Union saw a rise in the number of primary and secondary school teachers in 2024, with women representing roughly three-quarters of the workforce. The data also point to an ageing teaching cadre, most noticeably in Lithuania where more than half of educators are at least 50 years old, and similarly high levels in Portugal, Italy and Latvia. On the opposite end, Ireland, Malta and Luxembourg have the lowest shares of senior teachers.
The report highlights that Poland has one of the smallest fractions of teachers under 30 in the EU, surpassed only by Cyprus and Portugal. These patterns suggest growing challenges for teacher recruitment and succession across many member states.
Why it matters
An ageing teacher pool and scarce young educators could strain school staffing and education quality across Europe.
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