Belgium vs Netherlands: Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher
Belgium
39.4%
in 2023
Netherlands
39.1%
in 2023
Belgium rank
33rd
Netherlands rank
35th
Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher over time
- Belgium
- Netherlands
How they compare
Belgium currently reports 39.4% against 39.1% in Netherlands, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 18 shared years of data; in 2006 it was Netherlands ahead.
Belgium ranks 33rd and Netherlands ranks 35th of 110 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 2 and Netherlands in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | Netherlands | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29.1% | 30.7% | 1.5% | Netherlands |
| 2010s | 33.8% | 32.4% | 1.5% | Belgium |
| 2020s | 38.7% | 38.3% | 0.4% | Belgium |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the population with post-secondary education or higher, Belgium or Netherlands?
- Belgium, at 39.4% against 39.1% in Netherlands as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of the population with post-secondary education or higher between Belgium and Netherlands?
- 0.3%, with Belgium ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Netherlands?
- 18 years are reported by both, from 2006 to 2023.
- How do Belgium and Netherlands rank globally for share of the population with post-secondary education or higher?
- Belgium ranks 33rd and Netherlands ranks 35th of 110 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population with post-secondary education or higher. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed post-secondary or tertiary education.