Ireland has highest percentage of people over 16 in EU that feel left out from society based on educational attainment

In the EU, 7.3pc of people aged 16 years or over reported feeling left out from society in 2022, according to newly updated Eurostat statistics.

Ireland reported the highest percentage of 17.2pc, which is more than twice the EU overall average, followed by Finland (14.6pc) and Greece (12.9pc).

Poland (1.7pc). Czech Republic (4.2pc) and Portugal (4.2pc) reported the lowest.

"A higher percentage of people with a lower level of education feel left out of society than those with a higher education level,” the study said.

The report, originally compiled in 2022, but with updated data from 2025 added, focused on leisure and social interactions, one of the nine quality of life indicators dimensions that form part of a framework endorsed by the Eurostat expert group on quality of life indicators.

It states that social relationships have been shown to operate as a “buffer against the negative effects of stress on an individual’s wellbeing”.

Of the 17.2pc of Irish people aged over 16 that reported feeling left out of society by educational attainment, 19.2pc are female and 14.9pc are male.

Approximately 24.8pc of women in the 35-49 age cohort reported feeling left out, which is more than three times the EU average, of 7.3pc.

Women in Ireland had a higher percentage than men in this cohort as well as in the 25 to 34 age cohort (17.4pc female to 11.5pc male).

This was also the case in the 50 to 64 age cohort (19.6pc female to 14.7pc male).

Men reported a higher percentage of feeling left out in the 16 to 24 age cohort (11.7pc to 6.8pc) as well as in the 64 to 74 age cohort (15pc to 13.4pc) and the over 75 age cohort (13.6pc to 13.2pc).

Last year, the EU Commission reported that Luxembourg, followed by Ireland, recorded the highest levels of GDP per capita in the EU, with Irelands GDP per capita 111pc above the EU average.

The study also found that 4.6pc of those with higher-educational attainment contacted their friends less often than once per month.

“Frequent and rewarding social interactions are associated with a range of positive life outcomes, such as better health or improved chances of finding a job.

"More specifically, social support or having someone to rely on in case of need is considered to be a particularly important variable for explaining the distribution of happiness,” the study outlined.

It found that Ireland had the fourth best satisfaction with personal relationships between 2018 and 2022, behind Malta, Austria and Slovenia.

Looking at the age groups across the EU, people under 24 were most satisfied, while 50 to 64-year-olds are the group least satisfied with their relationships.

However, more highly educated people declare to be more satisfied with their personal relationships.

In Ireland, 21.3pc with a maximum primary level of education reported feeling left out based on educational attainment, compared to 15.6pc with higher education.

Poland was at the other end of the spectrum in the EU, where the percentage of people with lower education who felt left out of society was the lowest, at 3pc.