The Relationship between General Government Education Expenditure, Employee Educational Level and Tertiary Education in the European Union: Analysis Based on Eurostat Data

This study examines the relationship between general government total expenditure on education (% of GDP) and employees by educational attainment level and how it influences tertiary education (levels 5-8) in the European Union, using Eurostat data for 2023. The analysis is based on three main indicators: general government total expenditure on education, employees by educational attainment level and tertiary education. The methodology includes the use of secondary data in descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and multiple linear regression. The results highlight a relatively uniform distribution of public expenditure on education, but reveal significant differences between countries regarding tertiary education. The Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis point out weak results that are not statistically significant. The analysis of the coefficients indicates that employees by educational attainment level influence tertiary education, while general government total expenditure on education does not. The study shows that the structure of the labor market is the factor that explains the differences in tertiary education across the 27 countries studied.