Italy’s education picture is not all bleak, but the spending figures remain a weak point. According to the OECD’s Education at a Glance 2026, data running to 2023 put education spending at 2.7% of GDP, compared with an average of 3.1% across the other countries examined. University investment also lagged: Italy allocated 0.9% of GDP, against an OECD average of 1.1%.
Demographic change adds another challenge. Between 2015 and 2024, the number of primary-school pupils fell by 11%. The school-age population between 5 and 14 is projected to shrink by a further 18% between 2024 and 2033.
Yet there is genuinely encouraging news among young people. Italy has almost halved the share of 18- to 24-year-olds neither studying nor working—the group described as NEETs—from 30% in 2015 to around 16% in 2025. Educational attainment has improved too: the proportion of 25- to 34-year-olds without an upper-secondary diploma has fallen from 26% to 19%. The report attributes this progress in part to measures including Garanzia Giovani, GOL and the North–South agendas.
For those working in schools, however, significant problems remain. Preschool teachers earn around 36% less than other university-educated workers, while lower-secondary teachers earn about 33% less, although recent contractual pay increases should be acknowledged. The teaching workforce also remains relatively old: 36% of teachers, more than one in three, are at least 55.