Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Belgium
Belgium: Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher was 88.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Belgium, 2006–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Belgium is 88.7%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Belgium peaked at 90.2% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 79.9%, in 2007.
Belgium ranks 33rd of 37 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 80.9% | — |
| 2007 | 79.9% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 81.3% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 82.0% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 82.0% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 81.0% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 80.2% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 81.1% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 84.8% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 86.8% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 87.8% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 88.7% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 90.1% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 89.0% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 90.1% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 90.2% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 88.9% | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 88.7% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 81.0% | 79.9% | 82.0% | 4 |
| 2010s | 85.1% | 80.2% | 90.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 89.5% | 88.7% | 90.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 30 Panama 94.0% compare
- 31 Spain 93.5% compare
- 32 Brunei Darussalam 89.0% compare
- 34 Netherlands 84.5% compare
- 35 Costa Rica 74.3% compare
- 36 Ghana 68.5% compare
More education data for Belgium
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 80,763 (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 63.3% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 15.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 102.11 (2023)
- School enrollment, primary 102.1% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Belgium?
- Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Belgium was 88.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 90.2% in 2021.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 79.9% in 2007.
- How does Belgium rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- Belgium ranks 33rd out of 37 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. 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, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher, population 25+ years, immigrant background, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release