Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Belgium

Belgium: Share of children who are not in pre-primary school was 1.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
1.7%
Change on year
up 24.5%
World rank
151st
of 179 countries
All-time high
1.9%
in 2011
All-time low
0.0%
in 2003
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Belgium, 2001–2023

00.511.522001201220232001: 0.09 %2002: 0.128 %2003: 0.014 %2004: 0.33 %2005: 0.117 %2006: 0.27 %2007: 0.4 %2008: 0.544 %2009: 0.727 %2010: 0.859 %2011: 1.9 %2012: 1.7 %2013: 1.5 %2014: 1.5 %2015: 1.8 %2016: 1.8 %2017: 1.3 %2018: 1.3 %2019: 1.4 %2020: 1.2 %2021: 1.5 %2022: 1.4 %2023: 1.7 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2023, share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Belgium stood at 1.7%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 24.5% on the previous year and up 9.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Belgium peaked at 1.9% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2003.

That places Belgium 151st out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.3% 0.0% 0.7% 9
2010s 1.5% 0.9% 1.9% 10
2020s 1.4% 1.2% 1.7% 4

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 148 Serbia 1.9% compare
  2. 149 Switzerland 1.8% compare
  3. 150 Albania 1.7% compare
  4. 153 Netherlands 1.7% compare
  5. 154 Turks and Caicos Islands 1.6% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More education data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Belgium?
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Belgium was 1.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 2011.
What is the lowest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2003.
How does Belgium rank for share of children who are not in pre-primary school?
Belgium ranks 151st out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of children who are not in pre-primary school rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are not in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,923 data points, 1998–2025
Last refreshed

Children one year before the official primary entry age (typically age 5) not enrolled in pre-primary education, expressed as a percentage of all children in that age group.