More worryingly, the percentage has been declining in recent years.

With around one-in-eight adults included in lifelong learning, Slovenia stood above the EU average of 10.7%, although it continues to trail leading nations such as Denmark, Sweden and Finland, where the share exceeds 25%.

The lowest share of adults included in lifelong learning was seen in Romania (1.5%), Bulgaria (1.8%) and Croatia (2.5%).

More concerning for Slovenia is the fact that the share of 25 to 64 year-olds included in lifelong learning programmes has been declining since 2010, according to the data.

The EU has set itself the goal of achieving 15% inclusion in lifelong learning programmes by 2020, a mark that Slovenia had surpassed in 2010 before slipping in recent years.

The last extended five-year survey of education among adults was carried out in Slovenia in 2011, finding that 36.2% of those aged 25 to 64 had participated in some form of education programmes - formal or informal - in the past year. The EU average was 40.3%.

Of those taking part in informal learning, 69% did so because of work needs.

The data has been released by the Statistics Office ahead of the Week of Lifelong Learning, a festival of adult education in Slovenia, which will start on Friday.

The event will feature numerous educational and cultural events intended to promote the need for adults to educate themselves throughout life.