Sicily reports high school dropout rates and high driving exam success

Recent data highlights contrasting educational and licensing trends in Sicily compared to the rest of Italy. According to the “Esiti esami 2025” report from the Motorization Directorate, candidates in Catania, Palermo, and Agrigento have lower failure rates in driving exams than the national average.

In 2025, Italy recorded over 2.3 million theory and driving tests with a 73.29% overall pass rate. Sicily saw an 81.38% success rate, which is 8 percentage points higher than the national figure. While the driving portion saw an 85.40% pass rate nationally, the theory exam remains more difficult, with a 61.96% pass rate.

Conversely, data from the Openpolis Foundation indicates significant challenges regarding school completion in Sicilian cities. Catania has the highest rate of young people (aged 18 to 24) leaving school before obtaining a diploma at 26.5%. Palermo follows with 19.8%, and Messina is among the top five with 14.6%. This contrasts with the national average, where the dropout rate has improved to 8.2%, meeting European Union targets.