Romania has one of the lowest shares of higher education graduates among OECD countries, while public investment in education remains below the organisation's average, according to the main findings of the Education at a Glance 2026 report, released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Education and Research and published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

According to the report, 19% of people aged 25 to 64 in Romania hold a higher education degree, compared with an OECD average of 43%.

Around 70% of women aged 25 to 34 who have not completed upper secondary education are outside the labour force, one of the highest rates among OECD and partner countries. By contrast, the inactivity rate among women in the same age group who have completed tertiary education is significantly lower, at around 10%.

Romania stands out for its high proportion of graduates in STEM fields compared with the OECD average. Around 30% of higher education graduates in Romania specialise in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), above the OECD average of 23%.

According to the report, investment in education is low in Romania. This is reflected in public spending on education, an indicator of the priority given to education relative to other public services. In 2023, public spending on education accounted for around 6.4% of total public expenditure, one of the lowest shares and well below the OECD average of 9.8%.

Public spending on education as a share of GDP has remained relatively stable in Romania, rising from 2.4% in 2015 to 2.6% in 2023. However, this remains low by international standards, compared with an OECD average of 4.2% of GDP in 2023.

An estimated 2.8% of teaching positions in Romania remain unfilled, one of the highest rates among countries with comparable data. This suggests that schools are often unable to recruit teachers for certain positions, rather than filling vacancies with less-qualified staff.

Overall, teacher shortages vary by subject and are particularly acute in mathematics and science. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Roberto Stan; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)