Prague – The Czech Republic has climbed from fourteenth to twelfth place in the European Union for education and research quality, despite a decrease in education spending from 4.9 to 4.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). This improvement is attributed to better management of advanced digital skills. The participation rate of adults in further education remains lower in the Czech Republic, as highlighted by the Prosperity and Financial Health Index from Česká spořitelna and the Europe in Data project.
“The Nordic countries continue to lead in education and research quality, while the Balkans are at the bottom, with Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece consistently performing below average in nearly all monitored indicators,” said Hana Vincourová, an analyst with the Europe in Data project.
In 2023, the Czech Republic allocated 4.5 percent of GDP to education, according to Eurostat, while the EU average stood at 4.9 percent. Consequently, the Czech Republic dropped from 13th to 18th place in this category. The government aims to align public spending on education with at least the OECD average relative to GDP, which was 4.9 percent in the latest data from 2021.
Over 35 percent of Czechs possess advanced digital skills, ranking the Czech Republic eighth in the EU for this metric, a rise of seven positions. “Czechs have improved from the previous year – the DESI 2023 index showed 24 percent of Czechs had digital skills beyond the basics, while the DESI 2024 index indicates this figure has risen to over 35 percent, surpassing the EU average of 27 percent,” the index authors reported.
The number of patents granted per million inhabitants in the Czech Republic has also increased year-on-year, with 126 patents now granted per million residents compared to 103 the previous year, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization database. However, the trend in Czech applications to the domestic Industrial Property Office is declining steadily. (May 30)
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