Scotland is the best educated country in Europe, according to a report released by the Office for National Statistics.

It says that nearly 45 per cent of people in Scotland aged between 25 and 64 have had some kind of tertiary education – including university degrees and further education — ahead of Ireland, Luxembourg and Finland, which were the only other countries to get more than 40 per cent.

“In terms of the proportion of the population going into higher and tertiary education, Scotland actually has just about the highest in the world,” ONS chief economic adviser Joe Grice told ITV News.

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“Scotland also does very well in terms of people in the working-age population (16-64) that have got a qualification at NVQ4 or above.”

The UK as a whole was in fifth place on just under 40 per cent, followed by Cyprus, Estonia and Sweden. Just over 30 per cent of French had a tertiary qualification, while Germany’s figure was less than 30 per cent.

While Scotland may have the most skilled staff, the London workers were ranked as the most productive.

The ONS said Londoners were the most productive with their “nominal gross value added per hour worked” at more than 30 per cent above than the UK average. The south east of England was in second place with about eight per cent.

All the other regions of the country were below the UK average. Scotland was in third place with Wales and Northern Ireland at the bottom of the table.