Early School Leavers: Comparison among Developed Countries for year 2005, 2006: Eurostat defines an early school leaver as a person aged 18-24 who has only received up to lower secondary education. This graph shows the percentage of early school leavers in developed European countries for 2005 and 2006. Portugal has the highest rate of early school leavers and that percentage increased between 2005 and 2006. The European Social Fund notes that Portugal is lagging behind the EU in several key areas. Inequality when it comes to income distribution is also among the highest in the EU; children and the elderly are the most vulnerable.
