Eurostat published the 16th edition of its yearbook which presents a comprehensive selection of the statistical data. Among the figures report there are data on statistics, as for example that 79% of citizens aged 20 to 24 in the EU had completed at least upper secondary education in 2010.

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, published the 16th edition of the Eurostat yearbook – Europe in figures, which shows how key indicators have developed in the EU, the euro area and the Member States. It particularly consists in an introduction to European statistics and provides guidance on the vast range of data freely available from the Eurostat website and its online databases. For instance, the Eurostat yearbook 2010 showed that SMEs make up 99.8% of the estimated 20.2 million non-financial business enterprises within the EU.

With regard to the figures that we found within the Eurostat yearbook 2012, there are data on the early leavers from education and training. These are defined as persons aged 18 to 24 who have completed at most lower secondary education and who have not received any education or training in the last four weeks. The Europe 2020 strategy and the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training have set a target of 10% for 2020 for this indicator. In 2010, the percentage was 14% on average in the EU, and varied among the Member States, from 5% in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Poland to 37% in Malta, 29% in Portugal and 28% in Spain. In the EU, the proportion was 12% for women and 16% for men, with higher shares for men in all Member States, except Bulgaria and Slovakia.

The 2012 yearbook has thirteen chapters on different statistical areas: economy and finance; population; health; education and training; labour market; living conditions and social protection; industry, trade and services; agriculture, forestry and fisheries; international trade; transport; environment; energy; and science and technology.