Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Belgium
Belgium: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Belgium, 1979–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Belgium stood at 1.5%.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Belgium peaked at 1.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1995.
That places Belgium 58th out of 162 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 17 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 1.4% | — |
| 1988 | 1.1% | -19.8% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | -7.8% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | +7.6% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | -46.8% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 1.5% | +143.1% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 1.6% | +7.5% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | -1.0% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 1.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.1%, 1.4× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 1.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.1%, 1.4× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +143.1% | 0.6% | 1.5% |
| 1995 | -46.8% | 1.1% | 0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1 |
| 1980s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 4 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 3 |
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 government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Belgium?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Belgium was 1.5% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1995.
- How does Belgium rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Belgium ranks 58th out of 162 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. 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 Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release