Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Belgium
Belgium: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 98.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Belgium, 1820–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 98.3% for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Belgium peaked at 100.0% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 6.3%, in 1820.
That places Belgium 41st out of 190 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 6.3% | — |
| 1825 | 7.2% | +14.2% |
| 1830 | 8.2% | +14.1% |
| 1835 | 9.3% | +13.8% |
| 1840 | 10.6% | +13.7% |
| 1845 | 12.0% | +13.4% |
| 1850 | 13.6% | +13.3% |
| 1855 | 15.3% | +13.0% |
| 1860 | 17.3% | +12.7% |
| 1865 | 19.4% | +12.3% |
| 1870 | 21.7% | +12.0% |
| 1875 | 24.2% | +11.6% |
| 1880 | 27.0% | +11.2% |
| 1885 | 29.9% | +10.8% |
| 1890 | 55.2% | +84.8% |
| 1895 | 62.0% | +12.3% |
| 1900 | 74.1% | +19.5% |
| 1905 | 73.8% | -0.4% |
| 1910 | 77.7% | +5.3% |
| 1915 | 79.4% | +2.2% |
| 1920 | 81.1% | +2.2% |
| 1925 | 82.8% | +2.1% |
| 1930 | 84.5% | +2.1% |
| 1935 | 86.2% | +2.0% |
| 1940 | 88.0% | +2.0% |
| 1945 | 89.7% | +1.9% |
| 1950 | 91.4% | +1.9% |
| 1955 | 87.2% | -4.5% |
| 1960 | 100.0% | +14.6% |
| 1965 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 97.8% | -2.2% |
| 1975 | 97.5% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 98.0% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 99.5% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 99.6% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 99.3% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 99.1% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 98.9% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 98.8% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 98.7% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 97.9% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 98.1% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 98.2% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 98.1% | -0.0% |
| 2015 | 98.1% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 98.1% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 98.6% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 98.7% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 98.7% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 98.5% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 98.8% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 98.3% | -0.4% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 98.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 97.4%, 1.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 98.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Belgium changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | +84.8% | 29.9% | 55.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 6.7% | 6.3% | 7.2% | 2 |
| 1830s | 8.7% | 8.2% | 9.3% | 2 |
| 1840s | 11.3% | 10.6% | 12.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 14.4% | 13.6% | 15.3% | 2 |
| 1860s | 18.3% | 17.3% | 19.4% | 2 |
| 1870s | 23.0% | 21.7% | 24.2% | 2 |
| 1880s | 28.4% | 27.0% | 29.9% | 2 |
| 1890s | 58.6% | 55.2% | 62.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 73.9% | 73.8% | 74.1% | 2 |
| 1910s | 78.5% | 77.7% | 79.4% | 2 |
| 1920s | 82.0% | 81.1% | 82.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 85.4% | 84.5% | 86.2% | 2 |
| 1940s | 88.8% | 88.0% | 89.7% | 2 |
| 1950s | 89.3% | 87.2% | 91.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 97.6% | 97.5% | 97.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 98.0% | 98.0% | 98.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 99.2% | 98.8% | 99.6% | 6 |
| 2010s | 98.3% | 97.9% | 98.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.6% | 98.3% | 98.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
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 gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Belgium?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Belgium was 98.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1960.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.3% in 1820.
- How does Belgium rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Belgium ranks 41st out of 190 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. 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); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.