Duration of compulsory education in Belgium
Belgium: Duration of compulsory education was 13 years in 2025. ▲ Rising
Duration of compulsory education in Belgium, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 13 years for duration of compulsory education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
The figure is up 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Belgium peaked at 13 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 12 years, in 1998.
Belgium ranks 17th of 205 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Duration of compulsory education in Belgium, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 12 years | — |
| 1999 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 12 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2022 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 13 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 13 years | +0.0% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 13 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 11 years, 1.2× the median. (77 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 13 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10 years, 1.3× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12 years | 12 years | 12 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 12 years | 12 years | 12 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 12 years | 12 years | 12 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.83 years | 12 years | 13 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 17 Aruba 13 years compare
- 17 Austria 13 years compare
- 17 Bermuda 13 years compare
- 17 Costa Rica 13 years compare
- 17 France 13 years compare
- 17 Germany 13 years compare
- 17 Gibraltar 13 years compare
- 17 Hungary 13 years compare
- 17 Marshall Islands 13 years compare
- 17 Netherlands 13 years compare
- 17 North Macedonia 13 years compare
- 17 Paraguay 13 years compare
- 17 Philippines 13 years compare
- 17 Puerto Rico 13 years compare
- 17 Turks and Caicos Islands 13 years compare
More education data for Belgium
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 137,795 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 17,384 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 221,494 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 210,503 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.18 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 814,388 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1356 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0691 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Belgium?
- Duration of compulsory education in Belgium was 13 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 13 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 12 years in 1998.
- How does Belgium rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Belgium ranks 17th out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Duration of compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The number of years of compulsory education is based on students starting at the earliest entrance age, studying full-time, and advancing without grade repetition or skipping.