Chart 8 shows the percentage of the population which in 2008 had completed at least upper secondary education (left panel) and tertiary education (right panel). Both panels show the educational level of the young generation (aged 25–34) versus older age groups (therefore those who were in the young cohort a generation earlier).
All countries have experienced an overall improvement in the skill levels of their population: on average 79% of euro area citizens aged between 25 and 34 have at least completed upper secondary education; this proportion is 26 percentage points higher than among those aged between 55 and 64. However, there are considerable disparities across countries.