The Premier League has ranked among the lowest leagues in the world for the number of minutes played by players aged 21 or younger.
The CIES Football Observatory reports this week that just 7.8% of all the minutes played in the English top flight between the 2015/16 season to now were played by those 21 or younger.
Not only is that the lowest of the top five elite leagues, but it is one of the lowest counts for the top 80 ranked leagues in the world.
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The Estonian Meistriliiga has ranked best with 31.1% of minutes being given to young players, with the Latvian Virsliga in second (27.2%) and the Slovenian 1. SNL in third (26.4%).
Only six top-flight leagues out of the 80 rank worst than the Premier League - Greece, Korea Republic, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and China.
The Chinese Super League has ranked last with 3.9% of minutes being given to those under 21 and out of the top five leagues, Ligue 1 ranks the best with 15.4%.
Top 10 leagues with most minutes for U21s
| LEAGUE | PERCENTAGE | GAMES |
| Meistriliiga (Estonia) | 31.1% | 998 |
| Virsliga (Latvia) | 27.2% | 624 |
| 1. SNL (Slovenia) | 26.4% | 913 |
| Super Liga (Slovakia) | 25.1% | 949 |
| Meistaradeildin (Faroe Islands) | 25.1% | 766 |
| Divizia Naționala (Moldova) | 25% | 655 |
| LPF (Panama) | 23.9% | 893 |
| Eredivisie (Netherlands) | 23.8% | 1488 |
| Erovnuli Liga (Georgia) | 22.9% | 929 |
| First League (Montenegro | 22.9% | 929 |
Elite leagues - most minutes given to U21s
| LEAGUE | PERCENTAGE | GAMES |
| Ligue 1 (France) | 15.4% | 1826 |
| Bundesliga (Germany) | 13.1% | 1530 |
| Serie A (Italy) | 9.3% | 1900 |
| La Liga (Spain) | 9% | 1907 |
| Premier League (England) | 7.1% | 1908 |
Man City 
Man Utd 
Liverpool 
Chelsea 
Tottenham 
Arsenal 
Bayern 
BVB 
PSG 
Milan 
Juventus 
Inter 
Barcelona 
Real Madrid 
