Education: Romania among European countries with the most crowded classes

The average number of students assigned to a single teacher in primary, secondary and lower secondary education in the European Union (EU) was 12.2 in 2023, according to the latest data published by Eurostat. Romania is at the top of the ranking, with 13.8 students per teacher, recording one of the highest ratios in the community block. The most crowded classes are found in: The Netherlands - 16 students per teacher, France - 14.9 students per teacher, Slovakia - 14.7 students per teacher, Romania - 13.8 students per teacher. At the opposite pole, with smaller classes, are: Greece - 8.4 students per teacher, Malta and Luxembourg - 8.8 students per teacher.

• Over 5 million teachers in the EU

In 2023, the education systems of the Member States had 5.26 million active teachers and professors in primary, secondary and lower secondary education. The distribution by educational level is as follows: 36% worked in primary schools, 34% in secondary education, 30% in lower secondary education.

• Teaching, a profession dominated by women

Eurostat statistics also confirm the already known trend: women are the majority in education, representing 73% of all teachers in primary, secondary and lower secondary education. By age category, an imbalance between generations is noticeable: 52% of teachers are between 30 and 49 years old, 40% are over 50 years old, only 8% are under 30 years old. These data suggest a gradual aging of the teaching staff, which raises questions about the attractiveness of the profession for new generations.