The number of early school leavers in Malta is the highest in the European Union – a percentage that has to be halved by 2020 to meet EU targets.

Figures released on European Statistics Day, marked on Saturday, show nearly one out of every five Maltese aged between 18 and 24 leave education or training.

People leaving school at a relatively young age are more likely to face the risk of poverty, unemployment, social exclusion or poor health, Eurostat warned.

The EU has set a goal to reduce the share of early leavers from education and training to 10 per cent by 2020.

In 2017, the average was 10.6 per cent, ranging from a high of 18.6 per cent in Malta to a low of 3.1 per cent in Croatia.

Young men were more likely than young women to be early leavers from education and training, with Malta’s figures standing at 22 per cent for men and 15 per cent for women.

Young men were more likely than young women to be early leavers from education and training

The statistics released by Eurostat are varied, also shedding light on living conditions and material deprivation. Data was also collected about the inability to face unexpected financial expenses.

In 2017, the Maltese were the most likely to be able to face such an expense.

More than a third of the EU population was unable to face an unexpected expense, with particularly high shares re-corded for young people, single people with dependent children or the unemployed.

In seven member states, more than half of the population was unable to face the expense, while one person out of six was unable to face it in Malta (16.3 per cent).

Other data on the energy dependency rate show that in 2016, the EU’s dependency rate stood at 54 per cent: in other words, net imports were equal to just over half of gross inland energy consumption.

These figures indicate the extent to which an economy relies on imports to meet its energy needs.

None of the member states were self-sufficient in relation to their energy needs, with some of the smaller ones – Malta, Cyprus and Luxembourg – almost completely reliant on external supplies.

Meanwhile, statistics about organic crop areas show that the total area available across the EU for organic crops was estimated to be 11.9 million hectares.

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