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Children under three in formal childcare in the EU

Topic: Education

In Denmark, 67.2% of children under three are in formal childcare or education, against 1.8% in Slovakia.

In 2025, 40.5% of children under three in the EU spent at least one hour in a usual week in formal childcare or education. The share comes from a survey of households, in which parents report the hours.

The EU aims for at least 45% of children under three to take part in early childhood education and care by 2030. Countries that were below 33% set their own aims.

These figures are not from Eurostat. Sources: Council Recommendation of 8 December 2022 on early childhood education and care: the Barcelona targets for 2030, 2022/C 484/01, point 3 (retrieved 5 November 2026)

Figures for:
2025.
Covers:
the time of the survey.
New data:
once a year.
Dataset updated:
20 October 2026.

Published 7 November 2026

27 / 27 EU countries ranked

The ranking

In 2025, the share of children under three in formal childcare or education ranged from 1.8% in Slovakia to 67.2% in Denmark.

Share of children under three in formal childcare or education, %

2025
020406080%
EU, 40.5 %
Rank 1: Denmark, 67.2 %
Rank 2: Netherlands, 66.5 %
Rank 3: Slovenia, 60.3 %
Rank 4: France, 59.7 %
Rank 5: Sweden, 59.6 %
Rank 6: Portugal, 57.9 %
Rank 7: Spain, 56.8 %
Rank 8: Luxembourg, 56.4 %
Rank 9: Malta, 55.9 %
Rank 10: Belgium, 48.0 %
Rank 11: Latvia, 45.1 %
Rank 12: Lithuania, 43.8 %
Rank 13: Finland, 43.2 %
Rank 14: Cyprus, 42.4 %
Rank 15: Italy, 35.5 %
Rank 16: Estonia, 34.8 %
Rank 17: Croatia, 32.5 %
Rank 18: Austria, 30.9 %
Rank 19: Ireland, 27.0 %
Rank 20: Germany, 26.2 %
Rank 21: Greece, 23.7 %
Rank 22: Bulgaria, 22.1 %
Rank 23: Hungary, 21.1 %
Rank 24: Poland, 21.0 %
Rank 25: Romania, 11.1 %
Rank 26: Czechia, 7.9 %
Rank 27: Slovakia, 1.8 %
How to read: bars start at zero. Every country with a value is shown, ranked from highest to lowest.Source: Eurostat, Children in formal childcare or education by age group and duration - % over the population of each age group (ilc_caindformal).Chart: Civitascope (civitascope.eu) · CC BY 4.0 · Download image · Download data ·

Poverty or social exclusion

Among children at risk of poverty or social exclusion, the spread across countries was slightly narrower. Denmark was again the highest, at 67.0%, and Slovakia again the lowest, at 1.7%. The highest and the lowest were 65.3 percentage points apart.

Among children not at risk of poverty or social exclusion, the spread across countries was slightly wider than among children at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Slovakia was again the lowest, at 1.8%, and the Netherlands the highest, at 68.9%. The gap was 67.1 percentage points.

Share of children under three in formal childcare or education: children at risk and children not at risk, %

2025
Children at riskChildren not at riskChildren not at risk − children at riskDifference
0204060pp
EU, Children at risk: 25.9 %, Children not at risk: 45.0 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +19.1
Rank 1: Denmark, Children at risk: 67.0 %, Children not at risk: 67.3 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +0.3
Rank 2: Luxembourg, Children not at risk: 53.6 %, Children at risk: 65.8 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: −12.2
Rank 3: Sweden, Children at risk: 56.3 %, Children not at risk: 60.6 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +4.3
Rank 4: Slovenia, Children at risk: 51.7 %, Children not at risk: 61.6 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +9.9
Rank 5: Spain, Children at risk: 45.7 %, Children not at risk: 62.4 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +16.7
Rank 6: Malta, Children at risk: 40.5 %, Children not at risk: 60.6 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +20.1
Rank 7: Estonia, Children not at risk: 34.0 %, Children at risk: 37.4 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: −3.4
Rank 8: Lithuania, Children at risk: 37.3 %, Children not at risk: 46.2 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +8.9
Rank 9: Austria, Children not at risk: 29.9 %, Children at risk: 34.0 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: −4.1
Rank 9: France, Children at risk: 34.0 %, Children not at risk: 67.2 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +33.2
Rank 11: Portugal, Children at risk: 29.5 %, Children not at risk: 61.7 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +32.2
Rank 12: Finland, Children at risk: 29.3 %, Children not at risk: 46.1 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +16.8
Rank 13: Latvia, Children at risk: 26.3 %, Children not at risk: 48.0 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +21.7
Rank 14: Italy, Children at risk: 20.6 %, Children not at risk: 41.0 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +20.4
Rank 15: Ireland, Children at risk: 17.8 %, Children not at risk: 29.4 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +11.6
Rank 16: Germany, Children at risk: 17.6 %, Children not at risk: 29.2 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +11.6
Rank 17: Cyprus, Children at risk: 16.5 %, Children not at risk: 46.3 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +29.8
Rank 18: Belgium, Children at risk: 14.9 %, Children not at risk: 55.2 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +40.3
Rank 19: Greece, Children at risk: 10.9 %, Children not at risk: 28.5 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +17.6
Rank 20: Bulgaria, Children at risk: 10.4 %, Children not at risk: 27.7 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +17.3
Rank 21: Hungary, Children at risk: 9.7 %, Children not at risk: 24.4 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +14.7
Rank 22: Poland, Children at risk: 7.9 %, Children not at risk: 23.1 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +15.2
Rank 23: Romania, Children at risk: 6.9 %, Children not at risk: 13.4 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +6.5
Rank 24: Czechia, Children at risk: 5.7 %, Children not at risk: 8.3 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +2.6
Rank 25: Croatia, Children at risk: 2.3 %, Children not at risk: 37.2 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +34.9
Rank 26: Slovakia, Children at risk: 1.7 %, Children not at risk: 1.8 %, Children not at risk − children at risk: +0.1
How to read: the filled dot is children at risk, the outlined dot children not at risk, each with its value beside it. The column on the right is their difference, children not at risk − children at risk. Countries are ranked by children at risk.Netherlands is not shown (no data for one of the two).Source: Eurostat, Children in formal childcare or education by age group and duration - % over the population of each age group (ilc_caindformal) and Children in formal childcare or education by age group, duration and risk of poverty or social exclusion - % of children in the respective at risk of poverty or social exclusion situation (ilc_caindform25b).Chart: Civitascope (civitascope.eu) · CC BY 4.0 · Download image · Download data ·
All children under threeChildren at riskChildren not at risk
Lowest1.8%Slovakia1.7%Slovakia1.8%Slovakia
Highest67.2%Denmark67.0%Denmark68.9%the Netherlands
Highest − lowest65.4 pp65.3 pp67.1 pp

All children under three

Lowest: 1.8% (Slovakia)Highest: 67.2% (Denmark)Highest − lowest: 65.4 pp

Children at risk

Lowest: 1.7% (Slovakia)Highest: 67.0% (Denmark)Highest − lowest: 65.3 pp

Children not at risk

Lowest: 1.8% (Slovakia)Highest: 68.9% (the Netherlands)Highest − lowest: 67.1 pp

Under three and from three

In 2025, 40.5% of children under three in the EU were in formal childcare or education, against 90.2% of children from three to the compulsory school age.

Share of children in formal childcare or education, under three and from three to the compulsory school age, %

2025
EU, under three: 40.5 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 90.2 %,
Rank 1: Denmark, under three: 67.2 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 96.7 %,
Rank 2: Netherlands, under three: 66.5 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 95.8 %,
Rank 3: Slovenia, under three: 60.3 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 97.2 %,
Rank 4: France, under three: 59.7 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 92.8 %,
Rank 5: Sweden, under three: 59.6 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 99.1 %,
Rank 6: Portugal, under three: 57.9 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 95.2 %,
Rank 7: Spain, under three: 56.8 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 97.3 %,
Rank 8: Luxembourg, under three: 56.4 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 88.1 %,
Rank 9: Malta, under three: 55.9 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 93.4 %,
Rank 10: Belgium, under three: 48.0 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 99.5 %,
Rank 11: Latvia, under three: 45.1 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 97.6 %,
Rank 12: Lithuania, under three: 43.8 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 91.1 %,
Rank 13: Finland, under three: 43.2 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 96.1 %,
Rank 14: Cyprus, under three: 42.4 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 94.0 %,
Rank 15: Italy, under three: 35.5 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 94.1 %,
Rank 16: Estonia, under three: 34.8 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 95.4 %,
Rank 17: Croatia, under three: 32.5 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 86.1 %,
Rank 18: Austria, under three: 30.9 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 93.7 %,
Rank 19: Ireland, under three: 27.0 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 95.6 %,
Rank 20: Germany, under three: 26.2 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 85.5 %,
Rank 21: Greece, under three: 23.7 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 86.7 %,
Rank 22: Bulgaria, under three: 22.1 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 90.0 %,
Rank 23: Hungary, under three: 21.1 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 100.0 %,
Rank 24: Poland, under three: 21.0 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 81.4 %,
Rank 25: Romania, under three: 11.1 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 78.2 %,
Rank 26: Czechia, under three: 7.9 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 85.1 %,
Rank 27: Slovakia, under three: 1.8 %,from three to the compulsory school age: 84.2 %,
How to read: one row per country, one dot per group on an axis from zero, and a line from the lowest to the highest. Each value is in the columns on the right. Countries are ranked by the “under three” column.Source: Eurostat, Children in formal childcare or education by age group and duration - % over the population of each age group (ilc_caindformal).Chart: Civitascope (civitascope.eu) · CC BY 4.0 · Download image · Download data ·

Hours a week

In 2025, 26.1% of children under three in the EU spent 30 hours or more a week in formal childcare or education, and 14.4% between 1 and 29 hours.

Children under three by the hours a week in formal childcare or education, %

2025
EU, 30 hours or more: 26.1 %,1 to 29 hours: 14.4 %,none: 59.4 %,
Rank 1: Denmark, 30 hours or more: 60.1 %,1 to 29 hours: 7.1 %,none: 32.8 %,
Rank 2: Slovenia, 30 hours or more: 55.9 %,1 to 29 hours: 4.4 %,none: 39.7 %,
Rank 3: Portugal, 30 hours or more: 54.5 %,1 to 29 hours: 3.4 %,none: 42.1 %,
Rank 4: Luxembourg, 30 hours or more: 44.9 %,1 to 29 hours: 11.5 %,none: 43.6 %,
Rank 5: Lithuania, 30 hours or more: 43.8 %,1 to 29 hours: 0.0 %,none: 56.2 %,
Rank 6: France, 30 hours or more: 43.6 %,1 to 29 hours: 16.1 %,none: 40.3 %,
Rank 7: Sweden, 30 hours or more: 43.1 %,1 to 29 hours: 16.5 %,none: 40.3 %,
Rank 8: Latvia, 30 hours or more: 41.8 %,1 to 29 hours: 3.3 %,none: 54.9 %,
Rank 9: Malta, 30 hours or more: 37.2 %,1 to 29 hours: 18.7 %,none: 44.1 %,
Rank 10: Finland, 30 hours or more: 35.9 %,1 to 29 hours: 7.3 %,none: 56.7 %,
Rank 11: Belgium, 30 hours or more: 33.3 %,1 to 29 hours: 14.7 %,none: 51.9 %,
Rank 12: Cyprus, 30 hours or more: 31.4 %,1 to 29 hours: 11.0 %,none: 57.6 %,
Rank 13: Croatia, 30 hours or more: 30.3 %,1 to 29 hours: 2.2 %,none: 67.5 %,
Rank 14: Spain, 30 hours or more: 26.6 %,1 to 29 hours: 30.2 %,none: 43.2 %,
Rank 15: Estonia, 30 hours or more: 24.1 %,1 to 29 hours: 10.7 %,none: 65.2 %,
Rank 16: Italy, 30 hours or more: 23.6 %,1 to 29 hours: 11.9 %,none: 64.5 %,
Rank 17: Hungary, 30 hours or more: 20.0 %,1 to 29 hours: 1.1 %,none: 78.9 %,
Rank 18: Bulgaria, 30 hours or more: 18.9 %,1 to 29 hours: 3.2 %,none: 77.8 %,
Rank 19: Poland, 30 hours or more: 16.8 %,1 to 29 hours: 4.2 %,none: 79.0 %,
Rank 20: Germany, 30 hours or more: 16.3 %,1 to 29 hours: 9.9 %,none: 73.8 %,
Rank 21: Ireland, 30 hours or more: 14.4 %,1 to 29 hours: 12.6 %,none: 73.0 %,
Rank 22: Greece, 30 hours or more: 14.2 %,1 to 29 hours: 9.5 %,none: 76.3 %,
Rank 23: Austria, 30 hours or more: 12.5 %,1 to 29 hours: 18.4 %,none: 69.1 %,
Rank 24: Netherlands, 30 hours or more: 10.6 %,1 to 29 hours: 55.9 %,none: 33.5 %,
Rank 25: Romania, 30 hours or more: 6.7 %,1 to 29 hours: 4.4 %,none: 88.9 %,
Rank 26: Czechia, 30 hours or more: 2.1 %,1 to 29 hours: 5.8 %,none: 92.1 %,
Rank 27: Slovakia, 30 hours or more: 1.1 %,1 to 29 hours: 0.7 %,none: 98.2 %,
How to read: one row per country, and each bar adds up to 100%. Each value is in the columns on the right, in the bar's order from left to right. Countries are ranked by the “30 hours or more” column.Source: Eurostat, Children in formal childcare or education by age group and duration - % over the population of each age group (ilc_caindformal).Chart: Civitascope (civitascope.eu) · CC BY 4.0 · Download image · Download data ·

About the data

The share of children in an age group who are in formal childcare or education during a usual week, by the hours a week they spend there.

Eurostat: “Formal childcare by age group and duration - % over the population of each age group refers to the percentage of children cared for, by formal arrangements other than by the family during the usual week.” (source)

EU statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC), a yearly sample survey of households run by the national statistical institutes. The hours are those of a usual week.

How to read these numbers

How it is measured

The survey covers children living in private households. Children in collective households and institutions are generally not included (Estonia includes collective households).

Only formal childcare or education counts, in programmes run by public bodies or recognised private bodies. Care by a professional child-minder, by grandparents, other relatives, friends or neighbours is not counted here.

Comparisons between countries are limited. The age at which compulsory primary school starts differs between countries, and so does the length of maternity leave.

A child's age is the age in the survey year. In Ireland and Finland it is the age at the end of the year before the survey.

France's figures cover the European part of the country and, since 2022, four overseas departments (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and Réunion). Mayotte is not included. Portugal's figures include the Azores and Madeira, and Cyprus's cover the government-controlled areas.

Whether a child is at risk of poverty depends on the household's income in the calendar year before the survey. The childcare is that of a usual week in the survey year.

The values for children at risk of poverty or social exclusion rest on few children in the sample in many countries. They can change markedly from one year to the next.

Eurostat publishes no 2025 value for children in the Netherlands who are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. The value is withheld for low reliability.

Provisional figures

A provisional value (flag p) may still be revised. This concerns Lithuania (2025).

Low reliability

A value of low reliability (flag u) should be read with care. This concerns Cyprus (2025), Czechia (2025), Denmark (2025), Ireland (2025), Latvia (2025), Lithuania (2025), Malta (2025), the Netherlands (2025) and Romania (2025).

Sources and data

Eurostat, Children in formal childcare or education by age group and duration - % over the population of each age group (ilc_caindformal). Data updated 20 October 2026, retrieved 7 November 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.

Eurostat metadata · Eurostat methodology

The exact Eurostat API query

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/ilc_caindformal?format=JSON&lang=en&age=Y_LT3&duration=H1-29&duration=H_GE30&freq=A&geo=AT&geo=BE&geo=BG&geo=CY&geo=CZ&geo=DE&geo=DK&geo=EE&geo=EL&geo=ES&geo=EU27_2020&geo=FI&geo=FR&geo=HR&geo=HU&geo=IE&geo=IT&geo=LT&geo=LU&geo=LV&geo=MT&geo=NL&geo=PL&geo=PT&geo=RO&geo=SE&geo=SI&geo=SK&unit=PC

Eurostat, Children in formal childcare or education by age group, duration and risk of poverty or social exclusion - % of children in the respective at risk of poverty or social exclusion situation (ilc_caindform25b). Data updated 20 October 2026, retrieved 7 November 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.

The exact Eurostat API query

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/ilc_caindform25b?format=JSON&lang=en&age=Y_LT3&duration=H1-24&duration=H_GE25&freq=A&geo=AT&geo=BE&geo=BG&geo=CY&geo=CZ&geo=DE&geo=DK&geo=EE&geo=EL&geo=ES&geo=EU27_2020&geo=FI&geo=FR&geo=HR&geo=HU&geo=IE&geo=IT&geo=LT&geo=LU&geo=LV&geo=MT&geo=NL&geo=PL&geo=PT&geo=RO&geo=SE&geo=SI&geo=SK&unit=PC&yn_arope=YES_AROPE

Eurostat, Children in formal childcare or education by age group, duration and risk of poverty or social exclusion - % of children in the respective at risk of poverty or social exclusion situation (ilc_caindform25b). Data updated 20 October 2026, retrieved 7 November 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.

The exact Eurostat API query

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/ilc_caindform25b?format=JSON&lang=en&age=Y_LT3&duration=H1-24&duration=H_GE25&freq=A&geo=AT&geo=BE&geo=BG&geo=CY&geo=CZ&geo=DE&geo=DK&geo=EE&geo=EL&geo=ES&geo=EU27_2020&geo=FI&geo=FR&geo=HR&geo=HU&geo=IE&geo=IT&geo=LT&geo=LU&geo=LV&geo=MT&geo=NL&geo=PL&geo=PT&geo=RO&geo=SE&geo=SI&geo=SK&unit=PC&yn_arope=NO_AROPE

How every number in this story was computed

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