RIGA, Feb 8 (LETA) - The older the person is, the lower is share of persons having attained higher education, LETA learned from the Central Statistical Bureau.

At the beginning of 2019, 51.1 percent of all women in Latvia aged 25–34 had higher education, among men – only 28 percent. The data compiled by the Central Statistical Bureau shows that out of all persons having higher education in this age group 0.5 percent had doctoral degree.

At the beginning of 2019, 39.3 percent of all population aged 25–34 had higher education. This is age group with the largest share of persons having attained higher education. The older the person is, the lower is share of persons having attained higher education. In age group 35–44 years share of persons having attained higher education comprised 38.6 percent, in age group 45–54 years – 31.8 percent, in age group 55–64 years – 29.5 percent, in age group 65–74 years – 25.9 percent, and in age group 75 years and more – only 20.2 percent of population.

The lowest share of persons having attained only lower secondary education was among persons aged 45–64 years – only 5.5 percent in age group 45–54 years and 4.6 percent in age group 55–64 years. Share of population having only lower secondary education is the highest among seniors – 19.6 percent in age group 65 years and more. Also among younger population share of persons with lower secondary education is higher – 12.4 percent in age group 25–34 years and 14.7 percent in age group 35–44 years. Two persons out of three (65.4 %) aged 25–44 having only lower secondary education are men.

Share of persons having attained secondary education among population aged 25–34 and 35–44 is lower (39.5 percent and 35.2 percent) than among population aged 45–54 and 55–64 (44.7 percent and 44.9 percent). For 38.2 percent of population aged 65 years and more the highest educational level attained was secondary education.

After secondary education professional education was attained by a smaller share of young people – only 7.3 percent in age group 25–34 years and 10.2 percent in age group 35–44 years, compared to 17.5 percent in age group 45–54 years, 20.7 % in age group 55–64 years and 16.1 percent in age group 65 years and more.

During the last 60 years the share of population aged 25–34 years having attained higher education has risen by 34 percentage points. Population and Housing Census 1959 showed that only 5.3 percent of population in this age group had higher education. The share of persons in age group 25–34 years having attained higher education from 1959 to 2000 has gradually increased to 16.5 percent, but after 2000 there was a rapid growth to 35.5 percent in the number of persons having attained higher education in 2011. At the beginning of 2019, 39.3 percent of population aged 25–34 had higher education.

Comparing regions of Latvia, population of Riga aged 25–34 has the largest share of persons having attained higher education (48.2 percent), which is followed by Pieriga population (40.3 percent). In seven Pieriga municipalities every second person in this age group has higher education – 57.7 percent in Marupe municipality, 52.2 percent in Adazi municipality, 52.1 percent in Babite municipality, 50.8 percent in Garkalne municipality, 50 percent in Kekava municipality, 48.9 percent in Ikskile municipality and 48.3 percent in Carnikava municipality. In Latgale, Kurzeme, Vidzeme and Zemgale share of persons having attained higher education is 34.5 percent, 31.6 percent, 31.3 percent and 30.4 percent, respectively.

Since Population and Housing Census 2011 the share of population having attained higher education in Vidzeme has increased by 6.5 percentage points (from 24.8 percent in 2011 to 31.3 percent in 2019), but in Latgale – by 5.4 percentage points (from 29.1 percent to 34.5 percent). In other regions growth is 4.7 percentage points in Kurzeme (from 26.9 percent to 31.6 percent), 3.6 percentage points – in Zemgale (from 26.8 percent to 30.4 percent), 3.4 percentage points – in Riga (from 44.8 percent to 48.2 percent), 3 percentage points in Pieriga (from 37.3 percent to 40.3 percent).