The employment rate for 25-64-year-olds with a university degree in Italy was 84.3% in 2023, 11 percentage points higher than the rate for people with only a high school diploma, Istat said in a report on Wednesday.

The national statistics agency said that 24% of young people whose parents have a low level of education leave school early and only 10% of them get a higher education degree.

In the case where the young person has at least one graduate parent, on the other hand, the dropout rate drops to 2% and about 70% get a degree.

The report said the proportion of young people in Italy with a degree has increased, although a gap remains with the EU average.

It said the proportion of graduates among people aged 25 to 34 rose from 29.2% in 2022 to 30.6% in 2023, while the EU average went from 42% to 43.1%.

It added that the proportion of under-30s not in education, employment or training (NEET) fell to 16.1% in 2023, from 19% in 2022 and 23.1% in 2021, while the EU average was 11.2%.

This means that the percentage of NEETs in Italy has fallen below the level of 2007, 18.8%, a year before the start of the global economic crisis./ANSA/