Pupils identified with special educational needs (SEN) have historically been, and continue to be, across the world's education systems at increased risk of marginalization, exclusion and segregation. Two crucial issues, in relation to pupils with SEN and their educational placement, concern what proportion of the total pupil population is identified as pupils with SEN, as well as what proportion of these pupils are placed in an inclusive setting together with their peers of the same age. The aim of this contribution is to see how these two issues have developed over time within and between countries across Europe. To this end, comprehensive compiled national education statistics covering 35 European countries and approximately 85 million pupils at 5 different points in time between 2012-2020 have been used. Findings indicate that the overall tendency over time is that there in most countries is a trend of increased identification rates of SEN pupils. Findings also show that in all countries, and stable over time, about two-thirds of the pupils identified with SEN are boys, while about one-third are girls, meaning that for every girl identified with SEN, there are two boys identified with SEN. Finally, it can be noted that in a significantly larger group of countries there is an increase in the proportion of pupils identified with SEN who are placed in an inclusive setting than vice versa.